This Saturday evening, Nice faced Lens at the Bollaert Stadium, as part of the 26th day of Ligue 1. At the end of a solid match, Gym secured a victory (3-1) thanks to a double from Moffi and a goal from Thuram.
Ending this negative streak, Nice had to respond on the field of a direct contender for the European spots. The Eagles wanted to end this series of five matches without a win in the league. But Gym had a tough challenge this evening against RC Lens. The Northerners are 6th, with a two-point lead over Gym. The match was thus expected to be complicated, even though OGC Nice had won the last two encounters between the two teams at Bollaert.
For this match, Francesco Farioli was forced to play without several players. Injured during the clash against PSG on Wednesday, Melvin Bard was out. Romain Perraud returned to the starting lineup. Mohamed-Ali Cho and Jérémie Boga were paired with Terem Moffi in attack. Youssouf Ndayishimiye, long uncertain, was not on the match sheet.
A first half with good intentions
Gym started the match strong. After ten minutes of play, Mohamed-Ali Cho recovered a very good ball at the halfway line. The forward then advanced up the field before providing an assist to Terem Moffi. The Nigerian just had to push the ball into Brice Samba’s net (0-1). The Eagles immediately took the lead. Nice showed good intentions in this first half.
Solidarity, Gym held firm in defense, although Lens became increasingly dangerous as the first half went on. The only downside of the first half for Nice was the premature exit of Morgan Sanson, who was injured in the calf. The midfielder had to give up his spot to Tom Louchet.
Thuram for the goal to widen the gap
Gym had a close call at the restart. Elye Wahi, found alone in the area, adjusted Marcin Bulka. But the goal was ruled out for offside. Shortly after, Mohamed-Ali intercepted a ball twenty-five meters from the Lens goal. He then sent Khephren Thuram one-on-one with Brice Samba. The Nice midfielder didn’t flinch, and Nice extended their advantage (2-0). Khephren Thuram scored his first goal of the season, the first in over a year in the red and black jersey.
And it wasn’t over. From a corner, Pablo Rosario was held by a Lens defender. The referee didn’t hesitate and awarded a penalty. Terem Moffi took it easily. The striker caught Brice Samba off-guard to score a double (0-3). But Lens didn’t give up. With fifteen minutes left in the match, Elye Wahi fired past Marcin Bulka following a turnover in Nice’s half (1-3). The Northerners pushed, but the Eagles held on at the end of the match. OGC Nice is back on the path to victory in the league. Gym reenters the race for Europe.
Next match, next Sunday, March 31 for OGC Nice. Gym will face Nantes at the Allianz Riviera, as part of the 27th day of Ligue 1. Kick-off is at 3 PM.
