After their victory over Dijon last week, Nice suffered a defeat this Wednesday against Brest (22-29), who are second in the LFH rankings. This marks the first home defeat of the season for the Gym.
The feat didn’t occur. OGC Nice Handball Côte-d’Azur faced their first home defeat against a more resilient Brest team that posed a significant challenge to the Nice players.
An evenly matched first half
During the first 30 minutes, the Nice and Brest teams remained neck-and-neck on the scoreboard. Though initially, the score favored the Azuréennes (9-6; 15th), it kept shifting back and forth between the two teams.
With goals from Kalidiatou Niakate, Durdina Jaukovic, and Coralie Lassource, Brest dealt a 3-0 blow to Nice and began to find their rhythm (11-11; 25th). However, the Nice players did not give up. Goals from Marie Prouvensier at 7 meters and Martina Skolkova allowed the Gym to head to the locker room trailing by only two goals (13-15, halftime). Everything was still to play for both teams.
Brest pulls ahead
The Breton team, having defeated Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, started the second half as they did the first. As the minutes passed, the scoreboard continued to tilt in favor of Brest (16-20; 40th).
In front of a well-set white wall of defense, the Nice players managed to find openings a few times and convert some chances (18-22, 50th). However, the Brest counterattacks, along with the numerous penalties and expulsions suffered, weighed heavily on the players in red and black (20-26; 55th). The match ended with a score of 22-29 in Brest’s favor. For coach Marjan Kolev, the game still reflected some positives.
“We played against one of the best teams in Europe. The match was difficult, but we showed a good performance, especially in defense. It’s very encouraging, and I congratulate the girls who gave their all up to the last minute. We have nothing to be ashamed of against a Brest team that is increasingly performing.”
Brest claimed a six-goal victory over Nice, marking their third consecutive win in as many matches. In the next round of this championship, the Brittany team will host Nantes, and the Gym will travel to Bourg de Péage.
