The Eagles finally kicked off their season tonight at a title contender, Bordeaux. A victory that boosts morale and puts the Nice team back in the qualifying spots for the finals.
It had been a month since the Nice Eagles were stuck in a negative spiral. Since that victory in Anglet (1-2), the Nice team had been struggling offensively. With only six goals scored in six matches (including three against Marseille), achieving good results was difficult. A fact that captain Nicolas Ruel acknowledged before the match: “We need to focus on scoring more goals. This week without a match allowed us to work very hard. Everyone needs to bring out the best in themselves in this final stretch.” As the last third of the season is already underway, every point will count in the fight for the 8th place. The last ten encounters will be of utmost importance, and they need to quickly find their way back to scoring to achieve the season’s initial goal.
The men of Frantisek Stolc seemed to realize this in Bordeaux. Facing the third in the league, Nice started their game well. The team from the Azure Coast even managed to open the scoring thanks to Julien Msumbu (0-1).
Adam Raska, symbol of a regained attack
From the beginning of the second third-time, Nice once again surprised the Boxers. This time it was Adam Raska who found the net again. The Eagles’ top scorer hadn’t made his mark since December 6th. A piece of good news, especially since the Eagles seem to have regained confidence by creating numerous opportunities. While offensive efficiency is not completely back yet, the defensive stability is much better.
This is exemplified by the third third-time where Conrad Molder shined with no less than 18 saves (32 for the entire match). The Estonian extinguished all offensive efforts from the Girondins while Ondrej Kopta made a statement (0-3). Bordeaux finally narrowed the gap to (1-3) thanks to Canadian Mathieu Pompei, but it didn’t change much.
Thanks to this victory, Nice climbs back to the 8th place in the standings and will approach this final sprint with renewed confidence. And confidence will be needed before facing Cergy-Pontoise this Tuesday at Jean Bouin for the 34th day of the Ligue Magnus. The team from the Paris area is only three small points behind the Eagles in the standings. So, the appointment is set for the kickoff of this match at 8 PM.
