Initially valiant and enterprising but too imprecise, the Aiglons were punished by Dijon’s opening goal and completely collapsed in the last ten minutes.
To stop Dijon’s impressive run (2 games, 2 wins) and get the season on track after the draw in Caen (1-1), Patrick Vieira largely kept the same lineup as in Normandy, with one notable exception: Bassem Srarfi’s start.
The announced 3-4-3 shifted into a 4-3-3, with Tameze acting as a right back sliding into midfield during offensive phases, and returning with long strides to cover space after losing the ball.
Showing more energy and cohesion than in the opening night against Reims, the Gym took the game on the right foot and was only truly threatened once before the break, on a back pass to Sliti whose shot was deflected for a corner by Tameze (13th minute).
Cardi was also diligent on a header from Sammaritano at a narrow angle (45th minute), but didn’t have much else to do. His counterpart, Runarsson, didn’t either, due to a lack of on-target shots. However, there was more tension around his goal. Unfortunately, the offensive trio Srarfi – Saint-Maximin – Myziane lacked precision to make a difference. The former Lyon player saw the target slip away on a header from a new Boscagli delivery (37th minute), while he also did the hardest part a few minutes earlier by getting ahead of the keeper before passing to Lees-Melou who opened his foot too much (33rd minute).
Unfortunately, the rest followed suit. Not much was missing, but that little extra was sorely lacking. Like Myziane’s extended header on the outside of the post in the heart of the second half, following a carefully crafted cross by Srarfi. Then a good ball for equalizing placed at the Tunisian striker’s feet by Danilo, which likewise ended up off-target (70th minute).
A shot for 1-1, because a few minutes earlier, Dijon did the exact opposite. One chance, one goal. Aguerd rose higher than everyone to meet a long pass from Loiodice following a set-piece combination (0-1, 68th minute). The trouble for the Red and Black was that the Moroccan’s teammates were just as clinical. His defensive partner, Haddadi, first, well set up by Keita (0-2, 83rd minute), then the same Keita, twice more. First pouncing after a Cardinale save against Sliti (0-3, 85th minute), then weaving through the defense in a tight space (0-4, 90+1 minute).
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
It’s a catastrophic scenario for us. Losing at home 4-0 is hard to take. It’s a big disappointment. We created a lot of situations, clear chances but unfortunately, we couldn’t score tonight. We really lacked offensive and defensive aggressiveness. We didn’t defend well, we were quite timid. The message to the players at the end of the match was that playing well isn’t enough, we need more. There are a lot of lessons to learn from this match.
DANTE’S REACTION
It hurts a lot. We are having a hard time. We must be humble to analyze what we need to improve to have a good season, despite this tough start. We have to self-critique and take responsibility, but we mustn’t hang our heads or question everything. We need to stay calm. We will need to work and increase our level of concentration to regain this effectiveness, both in attack and defense.
