Cavigal Nice Handball hosted Marseille Provence Handball at the Pasteur gymnasium as part of the 13th day of Nationale 2.
Despite a rather messy start to the match between the two teams, the Nice team took the lead in the second half to seize this Mediterranean derby. Tonight, success seemed to be on the side of the goalkeepers and not the attackers, who often struggled to score, exemplified by the three consecutive missed penalties by Baptiste Berettoni.
A Match Marked by Defense
The tension quickly made its way into the match, both in the stands and on the field. The Marseille staff quickly expressed their anger towards the referees following controversial decisions. The Marseille coach received a yellow card for protesting. “What’s with this home referee?” exclaimed the Marseille player, Matteo Pollion, as he left the field for a teammate. Two minutes earlier, he had a goal disallowed, which he scored in a one-on-one counterattack, for stepping in the zone. The Nice team, not particularly inspired offensively, could rely on a goalkeeper in great form, making numerous decisive saves to keep their team ahead by +1 at halftime (12-11).
A More Prolific Second Half
Just as the second half resumed, Cavigal was awarded another penalty. This time, a change of shooter. Romain Mouchot took charge and scored, ending the bad streak. Nice pushed forward and significantly widened the gap after two counterattacks and a goal scored in an empty net, left vacant by the opponent for a numerical advantage (29-23). Cavigal ultimately won (32-27), maintaining their 1st place in the overall standings.
Next appointment, Saturday, February 10th at 8:30 PM away against Bagnols.
