This Sunday, OGC Nice traveled to Le Havre’s field, as part of the 3rd matchday of Ligue 1 2025/26. Punished for their defensive mistakes, the Gym conceded a second defeat (1-3) in three Ligue 1 matches this season.
First away game of the season in Ligue 1 for OGC Nice! Headed to Normandy, where the Gym faced Le Havre at the Stade Océane this Sunday afternoon. The teammates of Hicham Boudaoui wanted to follow up after last week’s first season success against AJ Auxerre (3-1). In terms of lineup, Franck Haise changed nothing, fielding the same victorious eleven from last weekend. Returning to the squad, Jonathan Clauss and Morgan Sanson took places on the bench. This was not the case for Dante, who was still not fit, nor Badredine Bouanani, whose move to Stuttgart had been made official earlier in the day.
The Gym too fragile in defense
Battered from the start, the Aiglons were subjected to their opponent’s offensive attacks in the early minutes of the match, epitomized by Antoine Mendy being cautioned after only thirty seconds of play. The defense of OGC Nice did not exude serenity. Logically, Le Havre opened the scoring after a solid first quarter-hour of play (1-0, 15’). Behind a Kojo Oppong who was far too short on this play, Fodé Doucouré struck accurately past Yehvann Diouf at close range, opening the scoring for the Normans.
A red and black response took time to manifest. From a good cross by Louchet, Kevin Carlos, once again preferred to Terem Moffi, lacked the power in his header to deceive the opposition goalkeeper. Offensively timid, there was not much to retain from the Gym’s rather dull first half. Having shown little, the teammates of Juma Bah returned to the locker room trailing on the scoreboard.
General panic in the Aiglons’ defense
Once again, Le Havre started the second half better than their Nice opponent. It took two significant moves from Yehvann Diouf to keep the Gym in the match. And yet, against the run of play, OGC Nice got back in the match (1-1, 52’). After a corner combination, Hicham Boudaoui found Kojo Oppong in the box. The shot from the Aiglons defender ended in the Havre net, marking the Ghanaian’s first goal in his new colors. The match was reignited! And once again, Nice was punished for individual errors, a bad habit that seemed to be becoming almost typical of Nice’s defense this season.
On an opposing cross, Mendy failed to clear the ball. The last attempt by the Senegalese defender was then deflected by Rassoul Ndiaye. Fortunately, the ball ended in the goal past a helpless Diouf (1-2, 61’). Everything had to be redone for OGC Nice. Defensively, the Gym put itself in trouble, stringing together poor decisions and defensive errors. The Normandy afternoon turned into a nightmare for Franck Haise’s men, who were unable to react. Worse still, the Azurean club conceded one last goal in the final seconds of the match. On a last counter, Issa Soumaré completed the play in the empty Nice net (1-3). Diouf had moved forward for the last red and black corner.
The Aiglons were defeated at the Stade Océane (1-3), marking a second defeat already in Ligue 1, the fourth out of five official matches played by Nice since the start of the season. A challenging first few weeks for the Nice team! The first international break of the season is arriving, perhaps, at the best time for OGC Nice. The teammates of Sofiane Diop will have two weeks to prepare for their next match. On Sunday, September 14, the Gym will host FC Nantes as part of the 4th matchday of Ligue 1. The match will kick off at 17:15.
