The Messins, currently the bottom team in L1 after having scraped together just five points, hoped to create a surprise on the Côte d’Azur. The Red and Blacks were not to fall into the trap of complacency. Sparse stands, an intimate atmosphere, an unusual schedule, a chilly wind: the Stade du Ray, for an afternoon, resembled a Faroese stadium.
The first few minutes justified the tricky match scenario. Francis de Taddéo’s players pressed high and committed a string of fouls. The Niçois, on the other hand, committed technical errors. The storyline of the Nice-Metz match took a twist in the 10th minute that altered the course of the game. Apam, the right-back for the Gym, cleared his camp far ahead. Sébastien Bassong, the Lorrain stopper, possibly hindered by the wind, weakly extended the ball to his goalkeeper Christophe Marichez. Baky Koné anticipated the error and with a clever lob sent the ball into the net. Nice opened the scoring against the run of play. The first half remained monotonous. The match offered very few opportunities for the Gym’s supporters to warm up. Metz failed to threaten Lionel Létizi, replacing the injured Hugo Lloris. Florent Balmont was the only one to stand out. His attacks were relentless. Omnipresent, tenacious in retrieval, whirling in offensive phases, the Niçois midfielder excelled. A blocked shot at the last moment prevented him from concluding a special Balmont slalom in the 30th minute. Ten minutes later, it’s Lilian Laslandes who met an Ederson cross, but the ball grazed the crossbar. Apart from that? Nothing…
The second half was more interesting. OGC Nice occupied the opponent’s half, thereby weakening the Messins’ midfield and defense. A counter-attack from Nice led by Balmont and Koné. Leoni deflected the ball to the oncoming Ederson. The Brazilian advanced into the area, about to adjust Marichez but Cédric Barbosa tripped him. Penalty. Baky Koné converted it and scored his sixth goal of the season. The lead was extended. The Niçois could play freely. Laslandes saw, a few minutes later, a header brushing the crossbar after a cross from David Hellebuyck. The third was very close. And it arrived in the 65th minute. A free kick from the same Hellebuyck landed the ball on Cédric Kanté’s head, who deceived Marichez. 3-0. The eagles had the match won. Cédric Barbosa quickly reduced the score with a beautiful bicycle kick after Létizi had deflected a corner by the young Pjanic.
Nice was quietly heading towards victory. Frédéric Antonetti substituted Koné and Balmont amidst applause from the 9000 spectators. The three points were deserved and allowed the eagles to remain high on the rankings in seventh place before traveling to Lorient, who would be looking to redeem themselves from a heavy 5-3 defeat at Auxerre where the Breton defense showed some signs of frailty. On the Messin side, there was an attempt to build and play, but there was a lack of precision in the decision-making areas both in attack and defense. Cédric Barbosa, defensive midfielder then offensive in the second half, was the most noticeable. He was involved in everything, both good and bad. The good with his nice goal, his relentless pressing, and his game direction. The bad with the penalty he caused and his excess aggressiveness which earned him a second yellow card at the end of the match. Cédric Barbosa is the Cyril Rool of Metz!
To touch on some negative aspects from the Niçois side, one cannot forget the somewhat laborious start of the match where the eagles seemed, at times, a bit lost on the field. Mistakes not to be repeated against quicker opponents in the final moves. Besides that, only positives: three goals scored, Baky Koné once again effective, no yellow cards, and no injured players to report. Enough to bring a smile to Frédéric Antonetti and all the OGC Nice supporters. Smile, you’re at the Ray!
