After losing their first match by a narrow margin against Cherbourg, Cavigal suffered a hard-to-swallow draw (30-30). The equalizer in the last seconds of the game takes the locals further away from the podium. However, the match was promising for the rest of the championship.
Wasted opportunities.
The Niçois can have many regrets after this match. Inefficiency in the final move forced them to chase the score for 38 minutes. With an offensive system based on wingers and counterattacks, the eagles created more opportunities. Unfortunately for them, Strasbourg’s goalkeeper Romain Mathias was impenetrable. By the end of the 60 minutes, he had compiled 14 saves with a 36% success rate. The two Nice goalkeepers only achieved 14.29%. Despite an exceptional Alsatian goalkeeper, the reds and blacks were never completely outpaced, with the largest gap never exceeding three goals.
The defensive sector, Cavigal’s Achilles’ heel
We are only at the beginning of the season, but Nice has the twelfth best defense out of fourteen teams in the championship. A sad record given that the attack ranks third. Victory was thus within reach. Some refereeing mistakes in favor of Strasbourg helped them return to the locker room with a two-point lead.
A second half off to a flying start
The eagles returned fiercely from the locker room. We saw a team more involved defensively and exceptionally effective in attack. Nice’s two best players, Joan Boada and Jeremi Pirani led the front with nine goals at an 82% success rate and eight goals at 80%, respectively. After leveling the score, the reds and blacks took the lead with a powerful seven-meter goal by Pirani.
Gaspari, the second wind from the bench
The only bright spot in the azurean defense occurred in the 42nd minute with an incredible split jump by Gretar Gudjonnson. This game-changing event could have been decisive because it happened following a two-minute penalty for captain Boada. During this time, the 20-year-old pivot Théo Gaspari gave the eagles a second wind. Coming off the bench, number 13 brought mobility to the Strasbourg area. His passion in his sole and only goal of the match is reflective of a player who didn’t give up. A few minutes later, the crowd, who came in large numbers, witnessed a delicate lob by Manuel Crivelli on the Alsatian goalkeeper.
A disappointing end to the match.
With 10 minutes left and a three-goal lead, the azureans seemed headed for their first victory of the season. That was without counting on Strasbourg’s tenacity, as they managed to thwart the opposing attack. With an extra player on the field twice in the money time, the Cavigal players offered the draw to their adversaries of the day. The last action reflects the entire match’s nature. A positioning error opened the way for left-back Joffrey Bonnemberger, who calmly outplayed the Nice goalkeeper.
The next Proligue match will be played next Thursday in Dijon. A victory will be imperative to avoid flirting with the championship’s relegation zone.
