For the first play-off of the Ligue Butagaz Energie (LBE), OGC Nice Handball Cรดte d’Azur traveled this Wednesday to Brittany to face Brest, the championship leader. The match ended in a defeat for the Niรงoises, 29-21.
It was a no-contest situation. OGC Nice Handball Cรดte d’Azur, which was unable to play their Sunday match against Metz that was postponed to a later date due to the appearance of Covid cases among the Metz team, traveled to Brittany to challenge a strong Brest team still in the running for the Champions League. The feat didn’t happen tonight, as the Southerners faced a stronger opponent.
Brest dominates the early proceedings
Right from the kick-off, both teams showed determination and a steely mentality. Unsurprisingly, it was Brest that dominated the first half (3-1; 7-5; 8-6). The Niรงoises, coached by Marjan Kolev, did not give up and tried to reply with counterattacks led by their captain, Ehsan Abdelmalek. The Egyptian international once again set the example, having already scored five goals since the start of the match. But tonight, the team from the Cรดte d’Azur came up against a well-positioned Brest wall and a goalkeeper who was more than decisive for her team. Sandra Toft had already made eight saves during the first thirty minutes.
On the other side, Nice goalkeeper Jovana Micesvka, replacing the injured Marja Colic, could not stop the Brest shots and conceded a lot during this first half. The Niรงoises didn’t score any points for a solid ten minutes (10-6; 13-9). Attacks finished by Ana Gros and Kalidiatou Niakate allowed Brest to widen the gap on the scoreboard. After a final attempt from the Brest side, half-time was blown with the uncertain score of 16-12 in favor of the home team. Four goals behind, but not all hope was lost for Abdelmalek and her teammates.
Nice too absent
If the first half was one-sided, the second would not be much different. The Gym still suffered from the Brest game, with shots into the top corner multiplying. The Niรงoises left a lot of space available to the Brest players, who did not hesitate to exploit it (19-13; 21-14; 23-17). The visitors kept trying to find a gap in the Brest defensive wall, emulated by strikes from Barbara Moretto and Djazz Chambertin, both scoring four and three goals respectively.
At 26-19, the task became insurmountable for Marjan Kolev’s protรฉgรฉes. With just a handful of minutes left to play, attempts from Pauletta Foppa (Brest) and saves from the substitute goalkeeper Clรฉopรขtre Darleux (Brest) drove the nail in further in favor of their team (27-20; 28-20).
It was all too much for the Niรงoises, who ultimately succumbed 29-21. They showed a fighting spirit till the end against this impressive, stronger, and more realistic Brest team. In their next play-off match, the Gym will travel to Chambray to try and return to winning ways.
