For their first official match this season, the women’s handball team was defeated away against Metz (37-22). A far from perfect game that illustrates a poor start to the season for the Niçoises.
The season could not have started worse for OGC Nice Handball. Marjan Kolev’s team showed up for the first 10 minutes of play but failed to capitalize.
30 already complicated minutes
The first goal by Marie Fall (Nice) should have been the result of a steely determination in the Niçoises. The two teams neutralized each other for the first 8 minutes (4-4; 8th) before the Metz players knocked the red and blacks out in quick succession.
Subsequently, the southerners conceded a 5-0 run (9-4; 13th). Fears rise for the team, especially as with missed opportunities, Gym conceded a concerning 4-0 just before halftime (17-7; 30th).
Dominated by the reigning French champions
Players like Marie-Hélène Sajka, Méline Nocandy, and Orlan Kanor (Metz) continue to trouble the Nice defense. The Metz players lead by 13 points against their rivals (24-11; 40th). The reactions of the Azuréennes result in a few converted opportunities, like the goals by Mélissa Agathe, but insufficient to counter the attacks from the Lorraine team (31-18; 50th).
The match seems endless. To conclude this ultimately failed encounter, the Niçoises concede a 3-0, ending a complicated match in which the players, led by their captain Ehsan Abdelmalek, were dominated from start to finish (37-22; FT).
OGC Nice Handball thus failed in their first match of the 2020/2021 season. The team will have the opportunity to bounce back with the reception of Clermont in the French Cup this Saturday. During the next championship matchday, Gym will face Dijon for their first home game.
