A well-filled stadium, a BSN and seconds ready to boost their protégés, and the first few minutes of play in favor of the locals—this was all it took to hope for a favorable first half for the aiglons. But as it’s often said, “when it doesn’t want to go in…”, and the proof: first it was Diakité who escaped down the right to send a cross that Bamogo and Fae couldn’t manage, and finally, Hellebuyck delivered a beautiful strike heading towards the Valenciennes goal, but Penneteau made a great save to send the ball to the left post. It would again be him to block a new attempt by Bamogo, well launched by Fae. New free-kick for Nice about twenty meters from the Valenciennes goal, Hellebuyck took charge of the center which Remy could only brush, and it was the right post this time that saved a very relieved Penneteau from fetching the ball out of his net. The Gym pushed, but fate didn’t seem to favor Antonetti’s men, who found themselves obliged to replace Traoré with Ben Saade due to a muscle tear. In just enough time for Valenciennes via Audel to show some danger, the threat returned to the northern area with a glorious opportunity for Bamogo, who couldn’t convert point-blank when he was eventually flagged offside.
We pass the half-hour mark, and the scoreboard still blank could very well have shown a deserved 2-0 lead for the hosts. An indomitable Loïc Remy once again attempted to break through the northern fortress and sent a perfect cross to Bamogo, who once again stumbled upon Penneteau, before Ben Saada inherited the ball and delivered a beautiful strike that was headed towards the goal. Tiéné, the Valenciennes defender, replaced his goalkeeper by stopping this attempt with his hand, thereby causing an unquestionable penalty and his exclusion. A hand and two hard blows for Kombouaré’s men who were already struggling to keep their heads above water. Loïc Remy stood at the penalty spot, but his shot flew into the stands of a BSN still chanting his name even after the miss. Valenciennes eventually appeared more dangerous with ten men than eleven in the final minutes of play, and the two teams would finally return to the locker room level at nil-nil.
With eleven eager Nice players against ten very cautious Valenciennes players, one might think the second half could only favor the aiglons, and it only took a few minutes and a fine save by Letizi on an Audel attempt for the stadium to finally be freed. Loïc Remy executed a deviation towards Ben Saada, who perfectly declared Bamogo, who crucified a previously faultless Penneteau. It finally went in, and moreover, this realization would certainly bring the bit of confidence that the Nice attacker lacked today. Then, opportunities poured on the northern defense, which worked to repel them as best it could. Hellebuyck, Remy, and Fae attempted to break through the Valenciennes defense for the second time, but to no avail, and it required yet another magnificent reflex save from Penneteau to prevent Modeste from increasing the score a few minutes from the end. Nice dominated this end of the match but was not immune from a comeback by the northern men, and each corner was a real ordeal for the supporters watching the minutes tick away on the scoreboard. Just 5 more minutes to hold, and the red-and-black points tally would rise to nine units.
Hellebuyck then found the live wire, Remy, who easily evaded his marker at the edge of the area to make a final adjustment on Penneteau, who could only watch the damage and fetch the ball from inside his net. The game was decided, and the BSN got it right by launching their “The stadium with us” cheers in the last moments of the match.
The liberating whistle of Stéphane Bré could make way for a grand ovation from a Stade du Ray that more than just a team had regained a soul and a public vibrating in unison with a game that everyone agreed was beautiful upon leaving the Nice venue, which in one of its last years of existence might well be the scene of other exploits by this band of friends à la Antonetti style.
Find the [post-match reactions](https://www.ogcnice.com/actualite/news.php?clef=4938)
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