In the battle to finish the year in the top three of the championship, the players of OGC Nice Handball hosted Strasbourg. A match during which players and supporters experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.
Finishing the year on the podium was the goal for the players of OGC Nice Handball during this last championship match of the year. Already in third place before the start of this ninth day, the ranking of the Nice team contrasts with that of the Strasbourg team (13th), which hasn’t won in eight matches across all competitions. This match had all the makings of a trap.
The shooting success was not good in the opening minutes of the match. Fortunately, Cécilia Erin, the Aiglonnes’ goalkeeper, got the measure of the Alsatian shooters. A double save allowed Nice to take the lead, largely thanks to the inevitable Marie-Hélène Sajka. Involved in both offense and defense, she scored and assisted to help OGC Nice Handball take the lead after ten minutes of play (4-2). The Maralpines were tied again despite good defensive recoveries. The Strasbourg players were determined not to end their year with another defeat.
The captain from Nice, Marine Dupuis, kept a close watch and allowed her teammates to catch up multiple times. Very strong on 7-meter throws, as usual, she rallied her teammates when ATH took a +3 lead and kept Nice from collapsing.
The visitors were very aggressive, disturbing the Azuréennes’ attacks, but this exposed Strasbourg to being outnumbered. OGC Nice Handball took advantage to catch up each time, but could not stop the Alsatian offensives, exemplified by Elin Karlsson, who was unstoppable, scoring repeatedly with success.
Result: Nice trailed at half-time (10-13). A low number of goals scored, mainly due to the rotation made by Sébastien Mizoule, who let Marie-Hélène Sajka rest for a good part of the first period.
Hanna Ahlen, Marija Colic, and Marine Dupuis attempt to turn the match around…
The second half started at the same pace as the first. The Strasbourg players remained very aggressive and managed to counter the offensives of Marie-Hélène Sajka. The entry of Marija Colic into the goalkeeper position was beneficial, but it wasn’t enough for the Nice team to reverse the trend (10-16). It took until the 36th minute for Hanna Ahlen to manage to get past Léa Fargues. Ehsan Abdelmalek followed and launched an offense in turn. The Egyptian brought her experience to foil the visitors’ plans.
Little by little, Nice came back into the game, thanks to saves by Marija Colic and a stellar Hanna Ahlen, who scored four goals in no time. Strasbourg lost their grip on the match, and Marine Dupuis (11 goals), chosen as the best player of the game, crushed Strasbourg by allowing the Maralpines to take the lead again (19-18).
An impressive turnaround. The ball felt heavy in the hands of the visitors, who were intercepted five times. This was the moment Marie-Hélène Sajka chose to remind her evening opponents of her prowess.
But then, Strasbourg woke up. After a pause in the game for a concussion protocol check on the Nice goalkeeper who was hit in the head, the back-and-forth battle ensued in the last ten minutes. The Azuréennes struggled to conclude their moves, and Strasbourg managed to come back and even take the lead thanks to Dalila Abdesselam.
With four minutes remaining in the match, the Aiglonnes were trailing again (24-27) and couldn’t come back, due to a Strasbourg defense that was once again very inspired.
OGC Nice Handball still finished the year in third place in the Ligue Butagaz Énergie despite this loss (27-29). The Nice team has one last match to play at home on Saturday against Pouzin, in the context of the French Cup. The match kicks off at 8 p.m.
