Rain, skiing, broadcast on France 3, return from the holidays… The Ray Stadium seemed quite empty for this first episode of the Cup which saw the new Nice recruit, Alaeddine Yahia, taking his first steps in his new colors. The game too, at the beginning of the match, did not seem to smile before the swirling Balmont took advantage of excellent work by Ederson to deceive for the first time the vigilance of the Le Havre goalkeeper who had until then been impeccable. The hardest part was done and the Brazilian might have even doubled the score on a free kick, but this time the duel with Revault turned to the advantage of the flying bald man who punched away Ederson’s hope to the great disappointment of the faithful South Brigade. Nice played the game better, but various attempts by Koné, Laslandes, and Bamogo were in vain, sending the teams to the locker rooms and dry with a deserved advantage for Antonetti’s men.
The rain was still very much present in the second half and the playing conditions were not improving. Neither was the luck of the Le Havre team, with an unjustified expulsion of Mezague leaving his teammates at the 55th minute. Another duel on a free kick between Revault and Ederson, and the guardian angel from Le Havre took the advantage over the Brazilian. Nice played well, had a score and numerical advantage—what could possibly happen with 20 minutes left until the final whistle? Well, what had to happen did through Loïc Nestor who, like his penguin namesake, went fishing—not for mussels but for a goal—by adjusting Letizi after 71 minutes of play. The dream of making the sixteenth finals faded as the minutes ticked away and regular time was not enough to decide between the oldest French clubs. It would be extra time, or at worst, a penalty shootout that would deliver the precious ticket to the sixteenth finals.
The game quickly turned to the advantage of the Nice team with a numerical superiority that began to be cruelly felt. Laslandes and Bamogo pushed, but the last Le Havre bastion remained as secure as ever before Joseph Désiré Job, who had replaced the excellent Koné, marked the 100th minute of play by being in the right place at the right time to meet a meticulously centered pass from Florent Balmont, leaving no chance for Revault who could do little but observe the damage. This time, the cup was full for Le Havre and it was finally with honors that the Normans fell in an evening to quickly forget to resume their role as contenders for promotion to Ligue 1, where they proved, Saturday night, that they well deserved their place.
For Nice, the dream continues with a victory that was indeed hair-raising but whose result would undoubtedly not have been the same last year at the same time. It is by winning this type of match that OGC Nice proves once again that it must be reckoned with for its perseverance and undying courage. Next appointment in the league for the eagles against Strasbourg (14th) on the coming Saturday, January 12, before receiving, the following Saturday, Nancy, the surprising runner-up to the Lyon ogre.
In other matches involving southern clubs, Fréjus lost by the smallest margin at Ajaccio (1-0) while Bastia blew up the scoreboard against Viry Chatillon (5-2).
See [the match summary](https://www.dailymotion.com/NimesFFV/video/6659861)
See [the reactions](https://www.ogcnice.com/actualite/news.php?clef=4469)
