OGC Nice returned home to the Allianz Riviera as part of the 13th day of Ligue 1 to face Montpellier.
The match started at full speed, with both teams already putting a lot of intensity into the first duels. However, it wasn’t until the 13th minute that the first opportunity arose.
And that first opportunity was for the Gym! Delort broke through on the right side and crossed for Gouiri. The French hopeful striker took his time to control and unleash a half-volley that ended up over Omlin’s goal.
Stephy Mavidi replied with the first Montpellier shot. At the 17th minute, the English number 10 found himself in the center in front of the box. He tried to curl it but it was off-target.
A lot of energy was expended by both teams in these first 20 minutes, each trying to play quickly forward, but neither really succeeding due to numerous technical errors.
The Niçois tried to spice up the game; at the 29th, Atal brought the ball up and attempted a shot from the edge of the box, which was deflected by a Montpellier defender. The Paillade players are now enduring the Nice attacks, trying to play on the counter-attack, but the Eaglets are in place and quickly recover the balls.
In the 42nd minute, it was Lucas Da Cunha, who had been little seen until then, who tried his luck with a powerful shot after a nice collective movement.
The Eaglets started this second half with great intensity. Coming in at halftime, Claude-Maurice was already on the attack and unleashed a shot that went wide.
The match picked up, Lemina perfectly tackled Ferri and launched Da Cunha into depth. The latter unleashed a shot that was deflected by Esteve. A few minutes later, it was Delort who struck but it was blocked, Gouiri overhit the follow-up pass.
OGC Nice pressed more, now having complete control of the match. After a recovery in the Montpellier half, Lemina curled his shot, and it ended up hitting the crossbar!
Another opportunity for the Eaglets at the hour mark, and once again it’s Da Cunha. Following a poor clearance by Sacko, Thuram took the ball and set up Da Cunha, who shot with power. This time it was on target, but Omlin managed the save without trouble.
In the 62nd minute, Thuram raised his foot too high and conceded a free kick. Mollet took the shot, marking the first on-target shot for Montpellier.
The Gym held the ball and waited for spaces, Thuram, everywhere in this match, delivered a long ball for Gouiri, Sacko intervened, but Delort attempted a bicycle kick. It seemed to be heading into the net but was headed away by Esteve!
Chances multiplied for OGC Nice but Montpellier opened the scoring against the run of play! Following a well-executed counter-attack, unlike those attempted throughout the match, Mollet received a cross from Ristic and perfectly applied his shot to find the bottom corner past Benitez… 0-1 for Montpellier.
The Gym was rattled by this goal but pushed towards the end of the match to equalize. The Eaglets rushed towards the Swiss goalkeeper’s net but were completely disorganized.
Dolberg could have scored in the 91st minute, the Dane went one-on-one towards the goal but Omlin intervened with a superb save. Montpellier managed to hold on to this score in the final minutes, pulling off the perfect upset.
With this third defeat of the season, OGC Nice remains stuck in third place. A frustrating defeat as the victory was more than possible. The Gym dominated and controlled the match but wasn’t sharp enough in the finishing. Montpellier performed the perfect heist but did not go undeserved, as unlike the Eaglets they converted their biggest chances.
