After three games without a win, OGC Nice got back on track by defeating the Canaries (2-1) at the Allianz Riviera. A well-deserved victory after an intense match that was controlled until the end.
Finally, a victory. The Gym secured their second home win following their victory against Lens (2-1). Thanks to Khephren Thuram, who scored, and Pierre Lees-Melou, who was omnipresent on the field, the Aiglons were resilient with a numerical advantage for over 80 minutes.
Turn of events in the first half
Three minutes after kickoff, the match already took a major turn. Andrei Girotto (Nantes) committed a poorly measured act against Hassane Kamara (Nice). After consulting the VAR, Jérôme Brisard, the referee of the match, issued a red card. With one less central defender, the Nice team now had a numerical advantage to exploit.
In the 27th minute of play, a corner was taken by Amine Gouiri. Captain Dante (Nice), alone in the center in front of Alban Lafont’s goal, headed the ball successfully, and it ended up in the back of the net. (Nice 1-0, 27th minute)
After this opportunity, the first period did not yield any other major moments. Nice dominated the debate with 72% possession, 8 shots to 3 (3 on target to 0), but failed to secure their lead. Moreover, the supporters present in the stadium were about to witness another dramatic turn of events.
Andy Pelmard (Nice) handled the ball inside the Nice penalty area. The VAR intervened again. After verification, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. It was Imran Louza’s (Nantes) opportunity to bring the two teams level. With his left foot, he sent Walter Benitez the wrong way and successfully converted the penalty. (1-1, 45th minute) It’s halftime at the Allianz Riviera.
Thuram to the rescue
With the score level, the Aiglons tried to accelerate and create chances from recoveries in the visitors’ half. On a deflected ball in the Nantes penalty area, Khephren Thuram managed to recover and beat Alban Lafont with his left foot. (2-1, 62nd minute)
Despite many other chances on both sides, no more goals were scored until the final whistle. A 2-1 victory for the Aiglons against resilient Nantes, who never gave up.
The three points are secured, but for captain Dante, the numerous missed shots need to be corrected quickly if the Gym wants to climb up the Ligue 1 rankings. The team from the French Riviera, led by Patrick Vieira, will travel to Geoffroy-Guichard to challenge Saint-Etienne on October 18th.
