This Saturday was Derby day for Nice Volleyball as they traveled to Cannes for the 10th day of Ligue A. Unfortunately, the match ended in a defeat for the Nice team (3-1), who gave their all on the court.
After their decisive home victory against Ajaccio (3-0), Ratko Peris’s team was full of confidence for their trip to Cannes. An Azur Derby is never an ordinary match. On this occasion, the players led by Jérôme Clère wanted to make a good impression against the formidable Cannes team, who are in second place in the standings.
Close first set between Nice and Cannes
In the first period, the two teams were evenly matched. Neither side truly dominated the other (3-6; 7-8; 15-13). At 23-24 in favor of the visitors, they were just one point away from winning the set. But fate had other plans. The scoreboard showed (26-26). Despite a solid performance from the Nice team, they eventually gave in. Cannes won the set (29-27), a rather cruel result for Jérôme Clère and his teammates.
But the match wasn’t over yet. There were still two sets to play. In this second period, the visitors showed a better side (2-5; 8-9; 11-14). It seemed that losing the first set had given resources to the Nice team, who offered a good game (16-21; 17-23; 19-24). Nice Volleyball left a few points on the way but managed to bounce back by winning this second set 25-21.
Complicated end of the match for the Eagles
With one set each, the Cannes team was determined to turn the tables. The Nice players were quickly shaken at the start of the game (4-1; 7-1) but gradually managed to catch up with their evening opponents. However, it was Cannes that drove the point home (18-12; 21-12) and claimed a commanding win with a score of 25-13.
Even though the third set didn’t turn in Nice’s favor, things were about to get worse for the visiting Azur team. The Eagles were once again overwhelmed by the Dragons (5-1; 9-3; 13-7). In these difficult circumstances for the Nice team to react, they managed to score a few points but were increasingly left behind by their Cannes competitors (17-13 – 23-18). They were just two points away from defeat, but the two teams were about to experience a small twist.
At 24-19, the match was almost sealed for Cannes. However, Nice wasn’t ready to give up and responded by scoring four consecutive points against the locals. At 24-23, a fantastic comeback by the Nice players seemed possible, but the miracle didn’t happen. The fourth set ended with a score of 25-23 for Cannes, who won the match 3-1 against a valiant Nice team.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Cannes Dragons, who are the runner-up to the leader Tourcoing. They will travel to Chaumont next. Nice has now suffered its fifth defeat in seven matches this season. The Eagles will want to avoid the same fate at home against Narbonne next Tuesday.
