Montpellier vs. OGC Nice was the opening match of this 12th day of Ligue 1. Without further ado, let’s dive into the match debrief.
Shall we start with a little surprise from the coach? In his starting eleven, Francesco Farioli decided to field the young Badredine Bouanani instead of Gaรซtan Laborde, who had been valiant but struggling in his recent outings. This was a first for the Algerian international this season. Morgan Sanson made his grand return to the midfield, attempting to fill in for the irreplaceable Ndayishimiye, suspended last weekend.
Nice not unlucky
Despite a slight Nice dominance in the first half, it was Montpellier that created the most dangerous chance of the game with an Akor Adams strike hitting the post (32โ) of Marcin Bulka. It was, to be honest, a tactical battle without a single goal, as both sides remained well-organized. In the second half, the game opened up more on Niceโs side, playing very high to try and change the outcome of the match. Unfortunately, plagued by a glaring offensive outage, Terem Moffi and his teammates could not break through Montpellierโs defense. Amidst the cheers from the Paillade supporters, a cross was struck again by the lively Adams (58โ), hitting the post once more, leaving the Eaglets with a seventh consecutive clean sheet.ย
Despite the nil-nil score, Montpellier performed quite well against the in-form team of the moment, giving themselves a bit of breathing room against the relegation zone. Nice retains its top spot in Ligue 1 and now holds a two-point lead over PSG and three over AS Monaco. Tune in on November 26th after the international break to face Toulouse (1 PM: Allianz Riviera).
