It had been a long time since we had seen such a thing at the Ray stadium: a half completely dominated by Nice. Led by Ben Saada and Digard, the eaglets showed a convincing face in the second half. They deprived the Lorraines of the ball, played forward, and created chances. But as is often the case during negative spells, they didn’t convert their chances and were caught by surprise during stoppage time. The Lorraine counterattack, concluded by Dia on the visitors’ only incursion in the second half, was fatal for Didier Ollé-Nicole’s men (2 – 3, 90’+1’). The Nice coach was more than heckled by the Ray crowd, which repeatedly demanded his resignation.
2 – 2 at halftime
Prior to that, the first half ended with a fortunate 2 – 2 for Nice. As early as the fourth minute, Apam lost the ball within his six-yard box, handing Nancy the opening goal on a silver platter. But the eaglets didn’t lose heart, and Civelli equalized with a header on a corner (1 – 1, 6’). Then the usual pattern reemerged: no solutions between the midfield and attack, and long balls from defense towards Bagayoko, who was left isolated upfront. In the 27th minute, Brison took advantage of a once again static local defense to send the ball into Ospina’s top corner. Nice was struggling and narrowly avoided trailing by two goals when Malonga faced Ospina one-on-one, but the keeper came out on top. However, Nice managed to level the score again with a cross-shot from Ben Saada, well served by Rémy (2 – 2, 37’).
The Nice player of the match: Didier Digard
Initially hesitant in the match due to the lack of movement in the red and black midfield, the number 22 then once again demonstrated his progress this season. Besides the defensive interventions he is known for, he impressed with his playmaking and ease in midfield. Blameless in his mindset, he was the key player in the locals’ strong second half. His quality on set pieces was once again highlighted, leading to Nice’s first goal. Digard will need to be emulated by his teammates next Saturday in Le Mans, in a crucial game for survival.
