It wasn’t pretty to watch, but the Gym ensured the essentials: a victory against Dijon (1-0) that allows the Aiglons to breathe and feel reassured. Mario Balotelli scored before being sent off.
The supporters of OGC Nice had a hard time taking much pleasure in watching their team play against Dijon. After six consecutive defeats, it was necessary to stop the bleeding. Deprived of Cardinale, Sneijder, Seri, and Saint-Maximin, the Aiglons were determined to win, even if it wasn’t pretty to watch.
The start was encouraging, however. First, there was a save by Baptiste Reynet in front of Mario Balotelli, following a pull-back cross from Vincent Koziello (8th minute), then a powerful volley from Christophe Jallet, alerted by Rémi Walter (20th minute).
Before that, Maxime Le Marchand had already sent shivers through the Allianz Riviera with his volley shot crashing off the bar. But Pléa had been flagged offside (2nd minute).
At the half-hour mark, on another cross, referee Olivier Thual awarded a penalty to Nice for an alleged handball by a defender. A few seconds later, the referee reversed his decision. His assistant had actually signaled a handball by Pléa.
Ten minutes later, another whistle. This time, there was indeed a penalty for Nice, as Jordan Marié had wrapped his arms around Pléa in the area. Mario Balotelli did not hesitate to convert it (1-0, 39th minute).
The hardest part was done. Behind, Dante and Le Marchand regained confidence, and Walter Benitez did his job in goal. The second half served only to defend this precious lead to secure an equally valuable victory.
The only notable event was the harsh sending-off of Mario Balotelli (89th minute) for a tackle that was admittedly not very smart, but perhaps not deserving of a red card. For the record, Olivier Thual had already sent off Balotelli last year against Lorient, before reversing his decision after reviewing the footage. He may show the same presence of mind not to deprive Balotelli of a crucial trip to Caen after the international break.
WORDS, WORDS…
Lucien Favre: “It’s good to get a victory like that. On Thursday in Rome, we started the week well in terms of play. We were much better in possession and management than in the past weeks. We lacked punch and runs behind to unsettle Rome. It was very hard to come back from there with a defeat, as you can imagine. Congratulations to the players, it wasn’t easy to play a European Cup match away on Thursday at 9 p.m. and follow it with a match on Sunday at 3 p.m., it certainly leaves its mark. But the players are professionals, they must adapt.”
Jean-Pierre Rivère: “This victory will do good for the mind. During the match, we saw that our players had a bit of a confidence shortage. The more minutes passed, the more the defeat syndrome was present, and we saw a technical quality that was less good than usual. But what was important was the accounting plan, it’s done. Now, there’s a break. We have to keep working to string together good results. It’s clear there is a small confidence issue which is logical after several consecutive setbacks. It will be resolved through work, work, work…”
Nampalys Mendy: “We showed a good spirit, and I hope we will continue like this, well, we will continue like this. Confidence will come little by little, from the basics. You need to have good character and a good spirit, and the rest will follow, I think.”
