While Nice delivered a true masterclass on Angers’ field (3-0 victory), the Aiglons’ captain, Dante, suffered a severe knee injury and had to be taken out on a stretcher right at the start of the second half.
At the kickoff of this match, Vieira rested several players. Thus, Atal, Thuram, Claude-Maurice, and Dolberg were on the bench. This allowed Reine-Adelaïde to celebrate his first start. Rony Lopes made his comeback on the right side.
Right from the start of the match, the Nice team set the tone of the encounter. They easily controlled the ball, thanks notably to the two tireless midfielders that afternoon, Schneiderlin and Lees-Melou.
The Nice team quickly took the lead on the scoreboard thanks to a goal by Rony Lopes. From a Gouiri corner from the right to the left, Dante smartly set up Rony Lopes who struck hard with the outside of his foot. Bernardoni was caught off guard and couldn’t stop the ball (12th minute).
Ten minutes later, Reine-Adelaïde was fouled in the penalty area. On a long ball, he intervened with his head and was struck by Bernardoni. The match referee, after consulting the VAR, awarded a penalty.
Lees-Melou stepped up and sent the Angers goalkeeper the wrong way (23rd minute). Nice already had a commanding lead.
Unfortunately, Dante was severely injured at the 55th minute due to a bad landing. His left knee twisted, and the Brazilian was forced to leave his teammates on a stretcher. Flavius Daniliuc replaced him.
Towards the end of the match, Angers pressed Nice high up the pitch and exposed themselves to counterattacks.
Hassane Kamara, the fullback from Nice, made a successful run down his side. He managed to cross at full stretch to Gouiri, who headed the ball. Boudaoui, who had come on as a substitute, followed up at the far post and only had to push the ball into the net.
OGC Nice secured their third win in the last four Ligue 1 matchdays and cemented their fourth place. However, Nice may have lost their Brazilian captain Dante for the remainder of the season.
