What a tough game for the Aiglons! But in the end, Nice secured their third win in a week and moved back into the upper half of the table. This bodes well before a tricky trip to Nîmes.
Since the start of the season, the Aiglons had gotten used to building and creating opportunities before often regretting their lack of success. This feeling will surely haunt the Amiens minds tonight as they reflect on their start to the match.
Organized in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Mathieu Bodmer supporting the forwards, Christophe Pélissier’s men indeed caused a few scares for the Allianz Riviera crowd. It was the former Aiglon who struck the first blow, attempting to lob an imprecise Walter Benitez in his clearance (6′). Saman Ghoddos followed up by taking a good cross from Emil Krafth at the penalty spot (15′), then trying his luck from afar (19′).
It was in the same exercise that the Nicois got their first chances. A powerful 30-yard strike from Wylan Cyprien (11′) was followed by Danilo Barbosa’s shot from 25 yards (20′). Both attempts met the same fate – landing in the hands of Régis Gurtner – but they allowed the Aiglons to regain confidence and control of the game.
After two new situations created by Allan Saint-Maximin (22′, 27′), his attack partner found the breakthrough, with a bit of luck (39′). Having long turned its back on them – especially at home – fortune finally smiled on the Aiglons. Well set up by Wylan Cyprien, Myziane left Krafth behind before benefiting from the unlucky Prince Gouano, who deflected his cross into his own net (1-0, 39′). The U20 international – voted man of the match by the fans – was decisive for the second time this week, after opening his goal tally in the Coupe de la Ligue.
Gouano was generous again, attempting a drag-back in his area in front of Cyprien, but was thwarted by a good Gurtner (42′). Without being more dangerous than their opponents, Nice returned to the locker room with the advantage, which was the essential part.
In the second half, Dante’s teammates focused on defending well, switching from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 following Youcef Atal’s entry in place of Allan Saint-Maximin at the hour mark.
Before being substituted, the Nice number 7 had a huge chance after a magnificent outside-of-the-boot pass from Mario Balotelli. But after bypassing the goalkeeper, ASM found Dibassy in his path, and Super Mario failed to hit the target from close range (49′).
This was the only major action in what was a very closed second half. After a long end to the match, the Gym clinched a third win in seven days. The Aiglons, who have won five of their last nine Ligue 1 matches, climbed two more places. Ninth in the championship, they will travel to the Costières next week, reunited with the Nîmes team that shone this evening in Dijon (0-4).
THE STAT: 800
Tonight, OGC Nice claimed its 800th victory in Ligue 1. The club also has 556 draws and 818 losses in total.
PLAYER RATINGS
Walter Benitez: 5. The Nice goalkeeper had few balls to deal with. Two saves to his credit but some scares in his footwork on clearances.
Christophe Jallet: 5. Active on his right flank, the Azurean defender made numerous runs. However, there were many wasted crosses and passes.
Dante: 6.5. The captain. The defensive leader. Solid but also made some errors in clearances.
Christophe Hérelle: 6. He forms a pair with captain Dante. They are beginning to form good understanding.
Malang Sarr: 4. Starting on the left side, the defender was constantly put under pressure. Difficulties in positioning left spaces for Amiens attackers.
Adrien Tamèze: 6. He is the defensive midfield leader and imposes himself as a captain. He patched up several breaches with great energy expenditure.
Wylan Cyprien: 6.5. The return of Cyprien on great form. Generous in his efforts, he delivered a half-volley in the first half that could have scored. Missed a one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper after a nice press. Good match!
Danilo: 4. Unlike his midfield partners, the Brazilian was much less prominent. Very discreet in play and not very incisive offensively, he did not earn points today.
Myziane Maolida: 7. The former Lyon player was successfully incisive throughout the match. He was directly involved in the goal after a superb control; the young forward delivered a strong cross causing the own goal. Replaced by Ihsan Sacko.
Allan Saint-Maximin: 4. Still too many wasted opportunities by the number 7. Too many unnecessary dribbles. The young Nice attacker must simplify his game to release the ball quicker. Substituted in the 60th minute and replaced by Youcef Attal.
Mario Balotelli: 3. Absent from the debate. The Italian started the game with good intentions which dissipated after 10 minutes. Lost many balls. He was even substituted amidst boos from the stadium (replaced by Remi Walter) and went straight back to the locker room.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“I am very happy with the team’s performance and delighted to have taken the 3 points. We offered something different because we faced a team that posed a lot of problems. It was not intentional to endure like that, but we accepted it and it was other virtues that allowed us to win. Recently we have conceded too many goals; staying on two clean-sheet wins in the league satisfies me. We can’t always play well, it’s important to understand why.”
WYLAN CYPRIEN’S REACTION
“Tonight it might not have been the prettiest match to watch, but we must know how to win without flair. We defended well; it’s part of the game too. Sometimes you need to hunker down and win under such conditions. We have to continue this winning momentum because the league is tight and everything can change very quickly.”
