Nice was defeated 23-19 at home against Issy Paris in the semi-final of the French Cup. A loss due, in part, to a significant lapse in the second half.
And suddenly, the door slammed. Sébastien Gardillou, the coach of the Nice team, probably gave his players a real dressing down at the end of the match. Dissatisfied with his players’ performance, he said he was “extremely disappointed with the way the match turned out.” And one can understand why.
At the beginning of the match, the Nice players held their own against the current third-place team in the championship. After an evenly-matched start, the Parisians seemed to pull away, taking a three-goal lead (3-6) after thirteen minutes of play. But the locals, pushed by the youth from the OGC Nice football academy, tied the score at 7-7 after twenty minutes of play.
However, at halftime, it was indeed the players from Issy who led with a score of 12-10. With four saves, Armelle Attingre thwarted the Nice team. It was at the beginning of the second half that the match would turn. Nice quickly fell behind and never recovered. After the break, Issy led 14-10, 16-11, and then 18-13. A gap that Sébastien Gardillou’s players were never able to close.
It’s a pity because, in goal, Cécilia Grubbstrom made an impressive three out of three on seven-meter shots. But offensively, the Nice team fell short and were especially challenged by the physical challenge imposed by the Parisians. Issy could rely on a stellar performance from Stine Oftedal. With five goals, she was precious offensively.
At the end of the match, between Issy’s awareness and relaxation, Nice reduced the score to produce a slightly less harsh result. Final score, 23-19, thus, and a Nice team eliminated at the gates of the final, despite having previously knocked out Metz in the prior round.
Issy Paris will play the final against Fleury Loiret on May 24th, at Paris-Bercy.
