The time for reunions over, Lilian Laslandes and David Bellion faced their former club with the firm intention of shaking the nets. The first minutes were lively, with Micoud on the Bordeaux side and Koné on the Nice side trying in vain to make a difference. Then came the 12th minute with a brilliant pass from Hellebuyck to Koné, who adjusted the Bordeaux goalkeeper Ramé with a beautiful left-footed shot. Le Ray was overjoyed, and their charges had done the hardest part against a well-prepared Girondins team, exemplified by Chamackh up front and Jurietti in the back. Just enough time to savor the lead before Bellion reminded the Nice fans of his presence by sending a good cross to Chamackh, who passed back to Fernando, who set up Chalmé on the right wing. His low cross found the tireless Micoud, who sent the ball into the back of Lloris’s net in a cathedral-like silence.
Koné could have even given his team an advantage before the break, but an imaginary offside call stopped the fiery Azurian.
The return from the locker rooms would offer a spectacle equivalent to that at the end of the first half. Bordeaux pushed, and Nice bent without breaking. Hugo Lloris once again showed his talent by repelling the many attempts from the marine-clad in white. The minutes ticked away, and Laurent Blanc’s men began to feel the efforts from their European Cup matches. The Nice players became more pressing, but it was to no avail. Laslandes’s snap shot found Ramé’s arms, and on an Ederson shot, it was the Bordeaux goalkeeper’s fists that thwarted Nice’s attacks.
It ended in a draw, with each team taking a small point, placing Nice in 7th and Bordeaux in 3rd. A point gained or two lost—that was certainly the question some players and managers were asking themselves last night before finding sleep.
