On the road this Sunday afternoon in Lorient, the Aiglons showed dominance in their play, but were not tenacious enough at the end of the match to secure a first Ligue 1 victory this season.
Although initially listed on the match sheet, Jean-Clair Todibo was absent. Injured the day before, the central defender gave up his place to Pablo Rosario, while Terem Moffi could not play due to stomach pain. Therefore, the young Evan Guessand had the pleasure of enjoying his third start in the colors of his home club. For the rest of the eleven, there were no surprises, except for the start of Sofiane Diop, who replaced Jérémie Boga, suffering from a thigh injury.
The Dominant Niçois
Armed with his defensive 4-3-3 formation, Francesco Farioli is not one to change systems every two games. However, unlike last Friday, the Aiglons clearly took control of the game, leaving very little possession to Lorient. After a rather closed first half from both sides, the second period was more open. The Gym launched multiple attacks forward, outplaying a Lorient team that stayed in a low block, showing little initiative.
Then, by pushing hard, the Niçois logically found the net in the 64th minute. The Merlus’ goalkeeper, Yvan Mvogo, deflected an aerial ball, which was opportunistically picked up by a last-minute starter, Evan Guessand. However, the joy was short-lived. Just as he entered the game, Senegalese player Siriné Doucouré equalized in the 77th minute after an unfortunate loss of the ball by Youssouf Ndayishimiye. The introductions of Badredine Bouanani, Hicham Boudaoui, and Billal Brahimi did not change the final score (1-1).
In a press conference, coach Francesco Farioli sought to downplay the situation. “I would say it’s more a lost ball than two points lost, because in my opinion, we had an extraordinary match with a lot of control, confidence, and the will to concede nothing to a team we knew was very strong at covering spaces and incredibly strong at counterattacking. There was an unfortunate episode, I am only sorry because today, the team deserved to bring home the three points.”
The Aiglons can be seen next Sunday live from Allianz Riviera as they face Lyon, who are also looking for victories.
