The Aiglons, putting on a convincing performance, claimed the Côte d’Azur derby in their last outing of the year. Monaco, struggling throughout the season, finished in seventeenth place and narrowly escaped relegation.
There wasn’t much at stake at the start of the final day of the championship. The Gym, assured of a top 10 finish, had lost their hopes of a European Cup weeks ago. On the other hand, Monaco secured their stay thanks to a victory on the 37th day. It would have taken an almost impossible chain of events for ASM to drop to Ligue 2.
Therefore, the sole interest of the match resided, of course, in determining who would claim supremacy over the Côte d’Azur. A derby to conclude, something the supporters couldn’t have dreamed of better.
Right from the start, Nice stayed compact. Monaco posed the first threat when Fabregas’s header hit the bar (12th minute). Four minutes later, Bénitez made a fantastic double save in front of Falcao, then Martins (16th minute).
Golovin (31st minute) and then Falcao (33rd minute) missed their headers, while on the other side, OGC Nice struggled to pose a threat. Nevertheless, it’s the locals who take the lead against the run of play. On a breakthrough, Atal crossed strongly in front of the goal and found… Badiashile, who accidentally deflected the ball into his own net (1-0, 36th minute).
The Gym ended the first half ahead, at an Allianz Riviera set ablaze by the Populaire Sud, now located in the first tier. Returning from the locker rooms, Nice continued to push.
Monaco missed a chance to equalize when Fabregas found himself alone against Bénitez, but the Argentine pulled off a fantastic save to preserve the Gym’s lead (56th minute).
After a deflected ball from Glik nearly resulted in an own goal (67th minute), the ensuing corner concluded with a foul by Sidibé on Saint-Maximin. Penalty! And it’s Mickaël Le Bihan, the returning player, who stepped up to take it. The number 10 made no mistake, sending the Allianz into rapture with a powerful shot (2-0, 67th minute). It was his first goal since April 15, 2017, when they won against Nancy.
The former Le Havre player came close to scoring a brace two minutes later but was stopped by Benaglio (69th minute). The Monegasques posed no further danger, and the match ended with the same score.
This result, combined with Nîmes’ defeat against Lyon (2-3), allowed the Gym to finish the season in seventh place in the standings. The goal was achieved. On the field, the Aiglons made the difference against Monaco, which awarded them 56 points at the end of the season.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“It was very important to finish on a high note. That was our objective. It was a perfect evening even though it started badly. We struggled to get into the game. From this season, I remember the club’s solidarity. We stood strong through all the difficulties. The staff, Fred Gioria and Lionel Letizi, were important. One learns much more from such seasons. We lacked a striker to finish higher. But no one complained. The players worked well. […] I think I managed to get a lot out of the players. In terms of sacrifice, work, I couldn’t ask for more. I don’t know if it was a good season. I always want more. […] But overall, I can say that I am satisfied. Now, we want to work on next year. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be here. We need to improve the group and the squad and have more competition to aim higher.”
