Marjan Kolev’s protégées did not falter against the bottom team, Plan-de-Cuques (28-25). The Niçoises move back into the Top 5 of the championship.
Last Saturday, the Niçoises brought back a draw from their trip to Plan-de-Cuques in the Coupe de France (26-26). Tonight, against the same opponent, Ehsan Abdelmalek’s teammates aimed to secure a victory upon their return to the Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann, as part of the 13th day of the women’s first division championship.
The first goal of the match was scored by the visitors, thanks to Manon Grimaud (0-1, 1st minute). The Provencals had a strong start to the match. They widened the gap following a penalty converted by Nély Carla Alberto (0-2, 2nd minute). Nice opened their scoring through a penalty by French international Barbara Moretto (1-2, 3rd minute).
After a difficult start, the Aiglonnes managed to find their rhythm, following an effective defense. Marie Prouvensier and Marie Fall allowed the Niçoises to equalize (3-3, 7th minute). Nice even took the lead thanks to Moretto’s success, scoring her fourth goal in less than a quarter of an hour (6-4, 14th minute).
OGCN continued and created a gap after a goal by Prouvensier (7-4, 15th minute). The Nice defense was solid. Counterattacks followed and Moretto scored her fifth goal (8-4, 16th minute). But Plan-de-Cuques did not give up. Dounia Malandran, twice, and Justine Martel reduced the gap after gaining a numerical advantage (8-7, 18th minute).
Nice held the lead. With three goals each, Marija Janjic and captain Abdelmalek gave the Azuréennes some breathing room (14-9, 25th minute). Despite a last goal by Grimaud, the Niçoises seemed to have the upper hand at halftime (15-11).
The Niçoises get scared until the end
Marjan Kolev’s protégées started the second half with good intentions. Dienaba Sy, Kimberley Bouchard, Djazz Chambertin, Barbara Moretto, and Martina Skolkova quickly gave OGCN a nine-goal lead (20-11, 36th minute). Plan-de-Cuques stopped the bleeding with Martel’s third goal (20-12, 37th minute).
The gap stabilized in this second half. The Niçoises managed to maintain their lead, with Moretto being impressive, scoring 7 goals (23-16, 46th minute). However, the Niçoises relaxed towards the end of the match. Plan-de-Cuques began closing the gap with goals by Giuliana Gavilan, Léa Chardon, and Aurélie Goubel (26-22, 54th minute).
Despite the timeout by Nice coach Marjan Kolev, the visitors continued to close in thanks to Martel’s fourth goal, followed by another by Chardon (26-24, 57th minute).
Finally, OGCN secured their victory with a penalty by Prouvensier and a goal by Noémie Lachaud (28-24, 59th minute). The Aiglonnes ultimately won 28-25 and secured a fifth consecutive victory! Thanks to this positive momentum, Ehsan Abdelmalek’s teammates placed themselves back in the Top 5 of the championship. Good news before their trip next Wednesday to face Paris 92, a team ranked just ahead of the Niçoises.
Reaction:
Barbara Moretto (right-back of OGC Nice): “We faced a Plan-de-Cuques team that gave it their all throughout the match. We were up by +9 in the second half, but we subconsciously relaxed. They showed more aggression and we got scared towards the end of the match. We’ll mainly remember the victory tonight. I hope we can secure the 5th or 6th place this season because we have a great team. It would be great to qualify for Europe. Next week, we’re heading to Paris, which is a very strong team. We’ll be able to assess ourselves in a match like this against a Top 4 team. It would be nice to win in Paris with our collective effort. We are on a good run and I hope it continues.”
