This Sunday, OGC Nice hosted Rennes for the 25th matchday of Ligue 1. In a match where they failed to accomplish anything, the Gym suffered a heavy home defeat (0-4). A logical scoreline that pushed the Eagles deeper into crisis.
OGC Nice had to take three points! The weeks pass, but the Eagles’ major objective for the season remains the same: secure their Ligue 1 survival as quickly as possible. This required a good result this Sunday with the reception of Stade Rennais. The Nice side also needed to redeem themselves after yet another underperformance last weekend on the pitch of Paris FC (0-1). Against a direct rival for survival, the Nice players were never able to take control of this match. The gap with the relegation zone is narrowing more than ever, Tom Louchet and his teammates couldn’t afford to slip up. This match also had another atmosphere, as it marked the return of Franck Haise – appointed to the Breton bench at the end of February – to the Allianz Riviera. And the joint adventure between coach Haise and Nice hadn’t ended in the best of ways.
On the team sheet, Claude Puel made a bold choice in his starting eleven. Yehvann Diouf – in great form after his decisive saves in the French Cup – retained his coach’s confidence and started in the Nice goal. With Sofiane Diop placed in a false number nine role, the Gym started the match with good intentions. But Nice would, once again, concede first.
A nightmarish first half for the Gym
Defense is the weakest area of Nice’s season, that has become certain. After a slalom run by Nordin, Lepaul took advantage of the apathy of Nice’s defenders to open the scoring (0-1, 13′). Rennes hadn’t been dangerous yet and broke the deadlock on their first opportunity. The afternoon turned red and black when the Bretons extended their lead shortly after (0-2, 20′). After a lightning counter-attack, Szymanski doubled the score for his side. It was easy, far too easy to breach the Azure block.
Nothing was smiling on OGC Nice, who saw Morgan Sanson’s goal disallowed for Cho’s offside at the start of the move. And the Gym came close to a real thrashing shortly after. Al Tamari, playing opportunistically, thought he had increased the score after Lepaul’s missed penalty. But the Rennes winger had entered the Nice penalty area before the shot – subsequently saved by Diouf – the goal was rightly disallowed. The Eagles avoided the absolute nightmare for now.
Nice make no progress in their quest for survival
Efficiency, precision, a collective spirit, composure – this Stade Rennais possessed everything that was lacking in this OGC Nice team. There wasn’t much to report in this second half: Rennes, ahead on the scoreboard, were content to manage. On the other side, some timid Nice reactions were worth noting, even if it remained too approximate to hope for a turnaround in this match.
The third Rennes goal, scored by Ludovic Blas, dashed the last hopes of Kevin Carlos and his teammates (0-3, 74′). The Bretons even added to the score late in the match (0-4, 90′). OGC Nice suffered their fourteenth defeat in the league this season and remain stuck in 15th place in Ligue 1. The gap with the playoff spot, Auxerre, has even narrowed. After their draw against Strasbourg (0-0) on Saturday, AJA are now five points behind the Gym. More than ever, Nice will be fighting for their survival in the top flight.
Next match next Saturday, March 14, for OGC Nice. The Eagles will travel to Angers SCO‘s stadium for the 26th matchday of Ligue 1. Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm.
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