For their return to European competition, OGCN rose to the occasion against Real Sociedad. Although the draw (1-1) remains a good result, the team from Nice almost deserved more.
For this first match of the 2024-2025 Europa League edition, OGCN did not disappoint. In terms of lineup, Franck Haise surprised the Spaniards by starting Tom Louchet in midfield instead of Tanguy Ndombele. The Spanish coach also rotated his squad quite a bit. Many players were returning from injury or had very limited playing time.
This was evident at the beginning of the game. Nice controlled the ball, maybe even a bit too much. Franck Haise’s men struggled to create plays, with their sterile possession quickly undone by the opposing pressing. Pablo Rosario missed a control in his own half, offering a counter-attack opportunity to Sociedad. Ander Barrenetxea did not miss the chance, beating Marcin Bulka with a fine strike.
Nice didn’t give up and created chances. In the 45th minute, the Gym’s logical equalizer came. Pablo Rosario redeemed himself for his earlier mistake, allowing the Red and Black to level the score before halftime.
A Missed Penalty and Regrets for OGCN
In the second half, Nice continued their high pressing, a consistent feature throughout the match, which pleased the Eagles’ coach: “We were very effective in recovering the ball high up, which is very good. We also did some good things in ball distribution. We could have gone a bit further in some situations.” Franck Haise was likely referring to the penalty obtained by Nice after a foul on Dante during a corner. Unfortunately, Evann Guessand missed his duel with the opposing goalkeeper.
The rest of the encounter favored OGCN, but the Eagles couldn’t manage to be decisive enough.
The match ended with this score for Franck Haise’s men, who are “on the right track.” Nice walks away with a point against one of the favorites of this Europa League (1-1). The next appointment is in Lens this Saturday, before facing Lazio of Rome on October 3rd.
