This Sunday, OGC Nice traveled to the pitch of FC Nantes as part of the Round of 32 in the Coupe de France. With a very good Maxime Dupé, the Gym struggled but managed to secure a win and will play in the Round of 16 of the competition (1-1, 5-3 pen).
A depleted Gym made its appearance in Nantes this Sunday for the continuation of the Coupe de France! Once again, Claude Puel was deprived of a significant part of his squad, with no less than fifteen players having to withdraw from this match. The coach of OGC Nice had to improvise with his starting eleven. After giving young Everton his debut last week against Strasbourg (1-1), it was the turn of young Brad-Hamilton Mantsounga (18 years old) to make his first start with the professionals. Notable also was the start of Elye Wahi – who scored for the Aiglons on his debut against the Alsatians – and the returns of Tom Louchet and Charles Vanhoutte in the red and black starting eleven.
OGC Nice had a good start to its Coupe de France campaign, having eliminated AS Saint-Étienne (2-1) in the previous round. At the end of December, Jonathan Clauss’s teammates ended a catastrophic negative spiral of nine consecutive defeats, the worst streak in the club’s history. Since then, the Riviera club has experienced many internal changes, Franck Haise is no longer the coach of the Gym, replaced since by Claude Puel. For him, there was no question of letting this match slip away. “It’s like a league match, we’re playing it full throttle, and we’ll see after,” said the Nice tactician, in a press conference, this Friday. Nice will also be looking for a first victory to definitively kick off the new Puel era.
Sofiane Diop to unlock the situation
As has become an unpleasant habit for Nice this season, the Aiglons were shaken, right from the start of the match. Less than two minutes into the game and Nantes already had the greatest opportunity of this encounter. Fortunately, young Nantes player Junior Diaz shot just wide facing Maxime Dupé. And yet, it was OGC Nice that opened the score after gradually regaining their focus (1-0, 25’). Found with a good cross from Jonathan Clauss, Sofiane Diop gave his side the lead on Nice’s first real offensive movement. Opportunistic, the Moroccan international got in front of his own teammate, Elye Wahi, during this action. Following the red and black goal, Dupé performed perfectly on a long-range shot from Tabibou.
As the match went on, the teammates of Tom Louchet gained possession and control of the match. Facing an opponent plagued by doubts, OGC Nice dominated the end of the first half without putting themselves out of reach on the scoreboard. Claude Puel’s men held on to their advantage before returning to the locker rooms. The only downside of the red and black period was Sofiane Diop’s injury. The striker’s left ankle twisted during a duel. Although he finished the first half, he could not continue the match. Bernard Nguene would replace him for the final forty-five minutes.
A penalty shoot-out to decide between the two teams
Weather conditions worsened on the Beaujoire side. OGC Nice made a poor return from the locker room and logically paid the price. Following an avoidable loss of the ball by Morgan Sanson, Herba Guirassy took advantage of a deflected shot by unfortunate Mantsounga (1-1, 51’). As at the start of the match, the Gym found themselves under pressure from their opponents. Another turning point in the match went against Claude Puel’s men. After being brought down by a rough tackle from Mwanga, Tom Louchet won a penalty shortly after the hour mark. Elye Wahi stepped up to face Calgren to convert but completely missed his shot. His cross attempt was easily saved by the Canaries’ goalkeeper. What a missed opportunity for the Aiglons!
In distress, the Nice side could count on a heroic Maxime Dupé to keep them in the match. In this second half, Diouf’s usual backup was making decisive interventions one after the other. None of the two teams managed to make a difference in the dying moments. This Round of 32 in the Coupe de France would thus be decided by a decisive penalty shoot-out. And in this regard, the Nice keeper took on the role of hero by saving an opponent’s shot. The red and black shooters, on the other hand, hit their mark. OGC Nice wins and will compete in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France (1-1, 5-3 on penalties).
We will have to wait a bit to know the next opponent of the Gym in the Coupe de France. The draw for the Round of 16 will take place this Tuesday, January 13. The match itself will take place on Wednesday, February 4. OGC Nice will return to Ligue 1 action next weekend. Claude Puel’s men will travel to Toulouse for the 18th day of the championship. The kickoff of the match will be on Saturday, January 17, at 7 PM, at the Stadium.
