The Gym finally unlocked their 2017 victory tally, thanks in part to the return of Mika Seri (3-1). A win that allows them to close in on Monaco, who were held to a draw in Paris.
It seemed clear that the Gym would face a tough opponent this afternoon. Guingamp is one of those teams that never gives up, fighting until the end and against whom it is difficult to earn points. Yet, the fact remains: this season, Nice has taken 6 points against the Bretons.
The match’s start was complicated for the Aiglons, who were reassured to have recovered four starters (Cardinale, Balotelli, Seri, Eysseric), up against enthusiastic Guingamp players (including Mathieu Bodmer, starting in midfield). After an initial chance for Briand as early as the 3rd minute, it was Salibur whose shot was pushed away by Cardinale (4th minute). Marcus Coco followed up, but the goal was disallowed for a dubious foul on the Nice goalkeeper.
The Gym then responded and gradually gained momentum. The passing and deflecting machine got back into gear. And by the 11th minute, Pléa, at the start of a superb collective effort and served with a backheel by Eysseric, dodged the Breton goalkeeper to score in the empty net. 1-0, the Allianz Riviera erupted.
Nice awoke and established their play. In contrast, Guingamp began to struggle and fall back. From a ball lost by Balotelli in the box, Souquet recovered the ball and shot (34th minute). Too wide. On the other side of the box, Eysseric, alone, was furious.
However, just four minutes later, Souquet chose to pass to Seri, positioned back in the axis instead of crossing. The Ivorian, just back from the CAN, controlled and shot. His strike was deflected by Sorbon, which lobbed over Johnsson (2-0, 38th minute). Just before the break, OGC Nice was safe.
At least, that’s what the Nice players thought a bit too much. As soon as they returned from the locker room, Guingamp increased their pace, but without consequence. At the hour mark, Antoine Kombouaré brought on Nill de Pauw and Alex Mendy, back in Nice after leaving this summer. And a minute later, after a risky clearance by Seri, Didot recovered and found Briand on the side of the box, who struck a left-footed shot past Cardinale (2-1, 63rd minute).
The Gym had relaxed too much, and now the Aiglons were trembling. Sarr and Koziello, struggling, gave several opportunities that the Guingamp players failed to exploit. Fortunately for Nice, because conceding an equalizer would have been disastrous for team morale.
After withstanding the pressure, Nice went back on the offensive. Souquet controlled a ball on the right side, then pierced through the axis. At the end of his run, he delivered a superb through ball to Mario Balotelli (otherwise invisible until then), who only had to beat Johnsson to allow Nice to extend their lead (3-1, 87th minute). It’s the ninth goal in Ligue 1 this season for the Italian, his ninth at the Allianz Riviera. Two minutes later, Super Mario left the field, applauded by the Nice fans. He runs little and has a minor impact on the game, but he has charmed Nice. Some would say that’s the mark of greatness. Why not.
Following the draw between Paris and Monaco, the Gym closes in on the Asémistes. Next week’s match, in Monaco, is of crucial importance because, in case of victory, the Gym could take the lead in the championship. Conversely, if they lose, catching the flamboyant Monégasques will become very challenging.
The stat: 0
Nice has never conceded the first goal at the Allianz Riviera this season. Only one match ended in a goalless draw (Nice-Metz, January 14). Otherwise, the Gym has always scored first.
Lucien Favre’s reaction:
In the first half, we were also in trouble, with a disallowed goal. Guingamp is a team that presses hard, very high, it wasn’t always easy to get the ball out. In the second half, we struggled to release it, we were under pressure. In those cases, you must use both feet and be able to pass 20 meters, otherwise, you’re in trouble. Under pressure, you need to play long, but we didn’t make enough runs upfront. It was a tough match… like all matches. Again, Guingamp is a very athletic team, strong on second balls thanks to their size. We did our utmost to respond in that area of play. We scored the goals at crucial moments, especially the first two. I told my players at halftime to go for the third, but Guingamp pressed us well from the start.
Mika Seri’s reaction:
It wasn’t an easy match. We know that Guingamp is a team that likes to counter. The most important thing is achieved, we’ll be satisfied with that. In the second half, we retreated too much, which are things to correct. They gained confidence after their goal, but we controlled the match overall, especially in the first half, and I think the score is deserved.
Alassane Pléa’s reaction:
After 3 draws, it was important to reconnect with success against a very good Guingamp team. We had a complete match, even though we poorly approached the second half, where we struggled a lot. It’s good to take the 3 points before the match in Monaco (next Saturday at 5 PM).
