OGC Nice dreamed of a victory last night against OM to maintain distance from their European place rivals. They had to settle for a draw, but it wasn’t a bad result for the Eagles.
He should have been the man of the match, but Michy Batshuayi showcased all the flaws he still needs to iron out. Clumsy in front of the goal, the OM striker missed at least three huge chances and made countless poor decisions in his duel with Cardinale. While the Nice goalkeeper clearly shined, his opponent of the night allowed it by missing much more than a top-tier number 9 can afford.
There was first a missed one-on-one at the end of the first half. Perfectly served by Cabella after a swift counter, Michy found himself alone against Cardinale straight on. With the whole goal open, the Marseille striker’s shot ended up on Cardinale’s legs. As if this miss foreshadowed what was to come, the Belgian then missed two huge opportunities in the second half.
Even more frustrating for OM is that after a difficult start, the tide seemed to turn in favor of the Phocaeans. Probably the mistral wind. A symbol of this Provençal success, the goal came thanks to Isla’s header from a corner that lobbed the entire Nice defense in the 36th minute against the run of play. On this, Cardinale was absent in the air, but also Pied, tasked with marking Isla and Koziello, covering the far post, were all at fault. OM took advantage.
In the second half, Nice showed more desire and could count on their two excellent surprises of the night to get back in the game. Bodmer, as precise as he was valuable in supporting the two forwards, and Plea, very fresh on his return, demonstrated some very attractive play. It was precisely the latter who initiated the action that led to the Gym’s equalizer. After superb work on the right flank, the ex-Lyon player played out to Koziello, who delivered a low cross to Germain. The Nice striker dove at the near post and buried the ball past Mandanda.
Thanks to this draw, Nice salvages their position and maintains their third place. Better yet, the Azorean club proves capable of holding their own against an in-form championship team without Hatem Ben Arfa. Conveniently, it will be at least another month before the red and black genius returns to the field.
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