While traveling to Chambray for the 18th day of the Ligue Butagaz Energie, OGC Nice handball faced a narrow defeat. A bad outcome for the Niçoises as their position in the Top 4 is now more than threatened.
A trip not to be missed. That was the watchword in Touraine this Sunday afternoon. Facing a struggling team (three matches without a victory), the Niçoises needed to bring back a positive result. The reason being an extremely tight ranking at the top of the table excluding Brest and Metz, who seem untouchable. Only five points separate third from sixth place. Nice is in this group in 4th place but with a game in hand.
To avoid falling behind, the Aiglonnes could rely on their captain Marine Dupuis (10 goals) and their top scorer Marie-Hélène Sajka (8 goals). The two Azuréennes players are temporarily on the podium of the season’s top scorers. Needless to say, they delivered yet again, especially at the start of the match. The Niçoises were trailing by three goals but were brought back by their leading scorers. They were then well supported initially by Louna Benezeth (4 goals) and later Raissa Daina (3 goals), who made a significant impact.
A captains’ duel that turns in favor of Chambray
On the opposing side, Chambray could rely on their captain Jovana Stoiljkovic (9 goals). The Serbian veteran delivered a full performance in the second half. For at halftime, the Niçoises were ahead (15-17). It was then that the opposing captain led the way for her team, who regained the lead on the scoreboard by the 40th minute. The Chambray team separated themselves to regain a four-goal lead with five minutes left.
However, the locals nearly scared themselves with two two-minute penalties nearly back-to-back. Marie-Hélène Sajka seized the opportunity to score, bringing her team within one goal… Nice lost (32-31) at the end of the suspense.
Now, Sébastien Mizoule’s players have just under three weeks to get back on track before hosting Besançon on Saturday, April 19 at 8:30 PM. This time, they can’t afford to slip up against another competitor for the podium.
