Indeed, Dalmat and N’Daw were the first to shoot, but they were quite off target, and the Sochaux players took control of the match by playing in a way that troubled the nervous and hesitant Nice players in midfield. Koné couldn’t get past Isabey in the first real Nice opportunity after 20 minutes of play. Hugo Lloris, on the other hand, had a very calm first half since the precision of the Sochaux forwards was very erratic. The game still wasn’t much more exciting, and neither Ederson nor Dalmat managed to tip the scales in their favor. Two yellow cards for Jokic and Afolabi, who targeted the ever-active Baky Koné, and both teams could head to the locker rooms with a score that was as null as it was goalless.
Back on the field with Koné replaced by Bamogo, and the Sochaux pressure was on again with Dalmat and Pancrate worrying the Nice defense, yet without finding the net defended by a serene Lloris. Pitau, the former Nice player, added to the tally of yellow cards for a foul on Hellebuyck. In Sochaux, Grax replaced Traoré and Erding rattled the new goalkeeper of the French team, who kept his goal untouched, even on Dalmat’s fine attempt that found the hands of the great Hugo!
Diakité and Laslandes each received a warning within two minutes of each other, and there were only ten minutes left before the final whistle. Sochaux pressed, Nice repelled. The scenario was almost too repetitive!
Yet another corner pushed away by the fists of Lloris, a beautiful free-kick from Grax, a duel Erding-Lloris in Hugo’s favor… and then the 88th minute: Pitau eliminated Echouafni and Kanté with a superb technical move to finish with a volley that ended its run just past Lloris’s post. Unfortunately, this time the ball ended inside the post, sealing a defeat with two minutes left for the Eagles who probably thought they had done the hard part. The four minutes of added time were not much help to Antonetti’s men, who would eventually return to the French Riviera with their bags all too empty. Next up, Saturday, April 5, with the hosting of Lille at the Stade du Ray, attempting to make up for their home loss to Auxerre (0-2). Then, it will be the turn of the famed Nice-Monaco derby, scheduled for Saturday, April 19, but that’s almost science fiction…
