The new autumn champions were held to a draw by an aggressive Bordeaux team, to the point that two Nice players were sent off at the end of the match.
For this last match of the year, the Gym fielded a reshuffled team. Deprived of four starting defenders (Dante, Baysse, Ricardo, and Dalbert), they had to test an experimental defense. As a result, Le Marchand (captain) and Sarr lined up alongside Burner (playing his first Ligue 1 match) and Souquet. Ahead of them, Koziello reclaimed his place in midfield at the expense of Walter, and the attacking trio of Pléa-Belhanda-Balotelli was retained.
Despite their heavily reshuffled defense, Nice managed to dominate and kept a clean sheet in the first half. A powerful shot from Balotelli in his usual style sent shivers down Prior’s spine (26th minute), who breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Pléa’s shot, set up at the edge of offside by his Italian teammate, miss the target (35th). During this first period, when they hogged the ball with 73% possession, Lucien Favre’s men were only threatened twice with loose balls in their area, which neither Malcom (27th) nor Rolan (34th) managed to convert.
First setback for the Gym
The second half was tougher for the Azuréens, who began to tire after playing their tenth match in a month. Bordeaux increased pressure with multiple corners and hit the woodwork with a shot from Rolan (54th). A few minutes later, Yoan Cardinale was injured and had to be replaced by Walter Benitez, who made his league debut and was decisive by perfectly blocking a powerful shot from Laborde (83rd).
The Aiglons didn’t score or concede goals, maintaining a valuable and always important draw.
Balotelli and Belhanda see red
However, the end of the match was more eventful. Irritated by the aggressive Bordeaux players (particularly Toulalan), Mario Balotelli (90+1st minute) and Younès Belhanda (90+4th minute) lost their temper and were sent off for actions that didn’t necessarily warrant red cards. After a turbulent weekend concerning officiating (Monaco-Lyon and criticisms of favorable officiating for Lyon), referees were once again marred, and the Gym’s fair-play ranking (1st, no red cards) was somewhat jeopardized.
In the end, the Gym left Bordeaux with a good point, finishing the year well and maintaining a two-point lead over Monaco ahead of the two-week break. Yes, the Gym is indeed the autumn champion!
The stat: 3
As in the number of times Nice has been the autumn champion. In 1972 and 1975, the Aiglons were leading after 19 matches. However, no title ensued…
Lucien Favre’s reaction
“It’s a good point. It could have swung either way. Overall, we put in a pretty good performance, had our chances, but didn’t capitalize on two beautiful plays. We clearly lacked something. Defensively, it went very well, they did a good job. In terms of the play, there are balance issues. Concerning Mario Balotelli (sent off), it ended with a card (red), I’m eager to see the footage. We’ll see if there was a foul. At the end, I was disappointed after those two red cards because it will mean a few matches (suspension). In terms of collective performance, it was not bad. There was a bit of fatigue, we’ve just played 10 games in 31 days, it’s the limit. 44 points at the break, it’s Christmas. We are winter champions, it’s wonderful. We have to keep it up, there’s work ahead of us, that’s all that matters. For now, we relish it, the holidays are coming, it will bring some respite.”
Maxime Le Marchand’s reaction
“Sometimes you have to know how to take a good point. We had a good first half: we controlled possession and created chances, which we didn’t convert. In the second half, we played less well. You have to be satisfied with the draw. There are things to improve but overall, it wasn’t a bad night. The winter break comes at the right time: we will be able to rest and approach the second part of the season in the best way. We must remain focused on our game, the results will follow. We know we will be highly anticipated; we need to keep working as the competition is fierce.”
Vincent Koziello’s reaction
“Both teams wanted to win, but it wasn’t an overly aggressive match. It’s unfortunate to come away with 2 red cards. Taking a point here remains a good result. It was complex to come back here a week after losing in the League Cup (3-2): we played well and could have won by capitalizing on our chances. I think the draw is deserved as they also had opportunities. Being the leader is nothing but happiness. We want to stay in this position as long as possible, and that involves performances like tonight’s.”
