On the occasion of this early match on the 25th day of the Ligue Magnus, Nice traveled to Grenoble. Against the league leader, the team from Nice couldn’t find their rhythm.
Two away games in two days! This was the tough schedule that awaited the Eagles of Nice. In this context, it was difficult to expect a great performance from the young team from Nice, especially since the game the day before had been particularly grueling.
This was evident from the start of the game. The team from Nice was caught off guard after just 40 seconds of play. François Beauchemin completed an all-Canadian action and gave Grenoble the advantage (1-0). The team from Nice didn’t let it get them down. They created several interesting opportunities, but without success, due to the saves by Grenoble’s goalkeeper, Jakub Stepanek, who was named man of the match for the Brûleurs de Loups.
After the first period, Nice was feeling the impact, while Grenoble seemed to control the game. In the 30th minute, the home team increased the score through Damien Fleury (2-0). Following this action, tensions flared. Four players were penalized, making the end of this second period particularly tense.
Grenoble continued at a cruising pace and subdued the team from Nice, who seemed exhausted. The punishment came in the 52nd minute with a third goal by Alexis Binner. The game was wrapped up, and both teams were waiting for just one thing: to head to the locker room.
Final score (3-0), a match with not much to remember, except for the good first period by the Azuréens. It remains to be understood the rather surprising scheduling of this match, in which the team from Nice had virtually no chance of winning.
The next appointment for the Eagles is this Tuesday in the Coupe de France, at Villard (D1).
