For this Round of 16 match of the 2021 French Cup, OGC Nice faced AS Monaco with Niko Kovac at the helm in their home stadium. A Côte d’Azur derby that concluded with a logical defeat, 2-0, for the Aiglons who didn’t trouble their opponents throughout the game.
For this new Riviera derby between Nice and Monaco, Myziane Maolida was chosen over Kasper Dolberg as the number 9. The Gym was also deprived of their iconic player, Youcef Atal, who was not on the match sheet. The Algerian international was suffering from an adductor injury.
The 1️⃣1️⃣ that will start the match against @AS_Monaco #OGCNASM #OGCNice #CoupeDeFrance pic.twitter.com/bKKRcCryxX
— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) March 8, 2021
Monaco’s pressing rewarded
The Monegasques applied suffocating pressure from the start of the game on the Aiglons. Just like this shot from Youssouf Fofana in the fifteenth minute that forced Walter Benitez to intervene. The danger was temporarily averted by the Gym’s goalkeeper, but it was just a matter of time before Kevin Volland concluded a superb team play at the half-hour mark. After a run down the left side by Cesc Fàbregas, the Spanish international, taking his time, spotted Volland at the penalty spot and delivered a pass back to him. The German player, with a slightly scuffed shot, sent the ball into the net, giving Benitez no chance. 1-0 in favor of AS Monaco (30th).
The Nice team then tried to level the score but faced a well-organized white defensive wall. The Monegasque goalkeeper, Radoslaw Majecki, was barely troubled during the first 45 minutes. The Aiglons played a lot of backward passes and forgot to move forward. No shots were attempted in the first half by the home team. The Nice side lacked aggression in their play.
The late-match downfall
If the first half didn’t produce many scoring chances, the second wasn’t much different. With just a single goal deficit, Nice still had a chance to equalize. But again, the intensity was missing in their play, the Aiglons lacked clarity, committed fouls, and took risks, such as this free kick by Jovetic (Monaco) from the edge of the box that missed the target. Nice was under pressure.
With only three shots (one on target) throughout the match, Adrian Ursea’s players did not catch up with their opponents and even conceded a second goal by Ruben Aguilar (Monaco). After a series of poor clearances near Walter Benitez’s goal, the former Montpellier player broke through the Nice defense and, with a diagonal shot from his right foot, managed to send the ball into the far corner of the net, leaving the Aiglons’ goalkeeper with no chance. Monaco led 2-0 in the 87th minute.
It was too much for Nice, who ended up losing 2-0 to a more realistic Monaco team.
Post-match reactions
Morgan Schneiderlin (Nice): “It’s very frustrating! Tonight, we are very disappointed about not qualifying and our performance. We never managed to create opportunities to win this match. We faced a strong Monaco team that contained us defensively.”
For the sixth consecutive time, OGC Nice was eliminated from the French Cup by a Ligue 1 club. AS Monaco thus joins Angers, Lille, Lyon, Metz, Montpellier, and Paris in the quarter-final draw. The Monegasques will have the privilege of hosting Metz at Stade Louis II.
