For this 42nd day of the regular season, Nice (9th) traveled on Friday, February 23, to Marseille (6th). In this Mediterranean derby, the Eagles needed a win to hope for a spot in the Play-offs.
After their home defeat (4-7) against Amiens on Tuesday night, the Niรงois absolutely needed to get back on the winning track. In the standings, still 9th and in the red zone of the Play-outs, the Eagles have three games to climb up. On the other hand, Marseille, 6th, is coming off a defeat (4-3) in Rouen. The Spartans at home, in an almost full rink, were eager to offer the Mediterranean derby to their audience.
At the start of the match, the Eagles were under Marseille’s pressure. The Niรงois were counter-attacking. In the eighth minute of play, they finally looked dangerous. It took a miraculous save by the Marseille goalkeeper, Marek Ciliak, to prevent Nice from opening the score. This action may have given confidence to the Eagles, who increasingly pushed forward. After ten minutes, the match became balanced. Neither team really took the upper hand. This first period ended in a (0-0) draw. No goals scored, everything was still to play for.
Marseille in full control
The start of the second period was very bad for the Niรงois. As soon as the game resumed, Marseille opened the score. It took only two short minutes for Fabien Colotti to slip the puck into the net. The Spartans drove the point home in the seventh minute through David Aslin, allowing the Phocean city to break away (2-0). Despite several attempts, the Niรงois could not score.
The Marseillais remained solid in defense, supported by an excellent goalkeeper who made numerous saves. Proof of a formidable attacking efficiency, the men in blue scored a third goal thanks to Patrick Machac in the twelfth minute. They capitalized on their numerical advantage to increase the lead. Trailing in the score, Nice tried hard to take the hit and score a goal. Unfortunately, without success for the moment.
The Eagles have sunk
The Eagles had to give it their all in this final period. But the start of the last twenty minutes of the match was not good. The Marseillais continued their great momentum. In the fifth minute, Jan Dufek found an opening to score, with a long shot, the 4th goal of the match. Three minutes later, following a mistake by the Niรงois defense, Marseille increased the score (5-0) with Gennady Stolyarov. During a period of possession by Marseille, the 6th goal was scored by Roberts Kalkis in the 15th minute.
Downhearted, the Niรงois failed to recover and conceded another goal shortly afterward (16th minute). Aslin secured a double and sealed the score. Marseille won (7-0). This is the largest victory for Marseille this season. With a non-existent attack and defensive errors, the Eagles suffered yet another defeat. However, the play-offs are still within reach, as at the same time, Chamonix lost against Grenoble (1-2). Two regular season games remain, one at home and one away for Nice.
Next appointment next Tuesday at 8 p.m. at home against Bordeaux.
