Two weeks after the defeat at the championship leader Brest, the women from Nice hosted their neighbors from Var for a Côte d’Azur derby. The locals won in the very last moments of the match, 27 to 25.
At least with this team, suspense is never lacking! As often happens at home, the women from Azure toyed with the nerves of the spectators present at the Charles Ehrmann Hall to gain the upper hand over the Toulon team in the last quarter of an hour.
It must be said that the visitors did not come for sightseeing. The first half entirely favored Toulon, who led for the entire 30 minutes, managing a 3-goal lead. But as usual, OGC Nice remained within striking distance. 14-13 for Toulon at halftime.
The return from the locker room was much more convincing for the Nice team. And for the first time in the match, the locals quickly took the lead in the score. The women from Nice didn’t relent. Even when the Toulon team, who had a deficit of 2 goals, pushed during the last quarter of an hour. The Aiglonnes held firm and won by a narrow margin of two goals, 27 to 25.
Notably, Jannela Blonbou finished as the top scorer for the red and blacks with 7 goals, just ahead of the Egyptian Ehsan Abdelmalek, who scored 6 goals. This victory allows the club to take 4th place after 7 rounds of the championship.
The next match is already scheduled for Wednesday, for a perilous trip to face the French champions, Metz.
Pierre Ferrand
