Dominant in the game, OGC Nice snagged a point at Montpellier (1-1) thanks to Younès Belhanda’s first goal in red and black colors.
The Eagles had accustomed their supporters to scoring at the very start of matches. But today, spectators had to wait until the end of the match to see some action. Fortunately, the game still smiled on the Gym.
Fielded in their 3-5-2 formation experimented with for several weeks, the Niçois saw their typical lineup altered: Souquet, Walter, Lusamba, and Bodmer regained their starting positions, while Younès Belhanda was positioned for the first time in support of Alassane Pléa.
In the absence of Mario Balotelli, who was rested, the Gym took control of the ball from the start. Well-organized and clean in their ball recovery, Nice was not troubled by a timid Montpellier side.
The first significant chance of the match was credited to Belhanda as early as the 13th minute. The player, trained at Montpellier, took advantage of a mistake by Congré but failed to beat Jourdren. Few chances presented themselves, as the Montpelliers were too unassertive in their play.
Offensively, Pléa, too isolated, struggled to receive usable balls, often falling into the offside trap. There was nothing to worry the Hérault side, who were also well-positioned. Reinstated in a defensive midfield role, Bodmer distributed intriguing passes.
Change is now
In the second half, Montpellier had a little more possession. Led by midfielders Sylla and Skhiri, the Hérault side appeared more dangerous. They were rewarded for their efforts thanks to a stroke of luck: in the 67th minute, Malang Sarr committed an unintentional handball in his penalty area. Ryad Boudebouz made no mistake, converting the penalty (1-0).
The Gym recovered, and Lucien Favre reacted: once again, the 3-5-2 was discarded before the end of the game. Moreover, the Swiss coach made a triple substitution: Anastasios Donis, Wylan Cyprien, and Valentin Eysseric replaced Alassane Pléa, Malang Sarr, and Mathieu Bodmer. Nice switched to a 4-3-3 formation, and it paid off.
The symbol of this success was named Anastasios Donis. Making an excellent entrance, the Greek striker quickly made his presence felt and was lively. With five minutes remaining, he broke down the right and crossed back for Younès Belhanda. Trained at Montpellier, he didn’t hesitate and crucified his former teammate Geoffrey Jourdren. Out of respect for his former club, Belhanda didn’t celebrate his goal. But he had enabled Nice to level the score.
The end of the match became more animated. From one side to the other, anything could happen. Having already shone on Thursday against Schalke 04, Yoan Cardinale deflected Souleymane Camara’s last attempt onto the post (88th minute). Then it was Donis again, served by Cyprien, whose shot was deflected by Jourdren (89th minute).
OGC Nice escaped with a draw, but the Eagles may regret Lucien Favre’s overly reactive coaching, who waited for the third time in a week for his team to be trailing before making tactical changes. The 3-5-2 is likely to be quickly abandoned in favor of a more classic and effective 4-3-3.
The stat: 0!
Thanks to this draw, Nice remains unbeaten after five Ligue 1 matches. Only neighboring Monaco is also unbeaten. Coincidentally, the next match for the Eagles will be against… AS Monaco. A derby promising to be explosive, in an Allianz Riviera that will, once again, be heated up to the max.
The Eagles have 11 points after five matches. It’s their best total at this stage since the 1977-1978 season. At that time, Nice had 13 points after five matches.
Lucien Favre’s reaction:
“We lacked a bit of penetration, forward moves on the flanks. On a field that wasn’t exceptional, it wasn’t easy to move the ball quickly. We tried to produce play; it was decent at times. Then we let up with too many losses of possession. They became dangerous at that time. Overall, it’s a deserved point.”
Yoan Cardinale’s reaction:
“It wasn’t the most beautiful match of the day, but we fought to bring back a point from Montpellier. We are still unbeaten in the league and will try to remain so for as long as possible.”
