OGC Nice more than held its own against a mixed team from FC Barcelona. After a 1-1 draw, Claude Puel’s men put on a commendable display for more than an hour, giving positive signs ahead of the Ligue 1 restart next Saturday against Toulouse.
There was reason to be fearful, reason to be worried after the first five preparation matches. One draw, four losses, and FC Barcelona arriving at the Allianz Riviera. In front of more than 22,000 spectators, the Aiglons rose to the occasion and dispelled some doubts. Gone were the many young players in the squad, gone were the 11 changes at halftime. This Saturday evening, Claude Puel lined up a starting eleven that should resemble the one to face Toulouse next Saturday (9 PM).
In a 4-1-4-1 setup, the Red and Blacks initially chased the ball a lot, which is logical when facing FC Barcelona, known for ball possession. As always, the aim was to weather the storm and defend as a group, which worked well for OGC Nice, who were very disciplined tactically with well-defined lines.
“For the first time since the start of preparation, we had a ‘standard’ team, and it looked good. It’s very positive before entering the championship in less than a week,” said Nice’s midfielder Eric Bauthรฉac with satisfaction.
At the 20th minute, “Super” Dario Cvitanich was fouled by Gerard Piquรฉ in the penalty area. The match referee, Ruddy Buquet, wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot. The Argentine took matters into his own hands and scored with a shot into the bottom corner. This ignited the Allianz Riviera, which stood up and sang “Those who aren’t jumping aren’t from Nice!”, a beautiful connection between the public and their team. Subsequently, the Catalans pressed harder, exemplified by Jordi Alba hitting the crossbar defended by Mouez Hassen in the 35th minute.
After the break, Barcelona’s coach Luis Enrique changed almost everything (8 substitutions) and the difference was felt. Facing a physically worn Nice team, Barcelona repeatedly tested Hassen, though without success in finding the net. The equalizer came in the 67th minute with a penalty converted by captain Xavi after a very harsh whistle by the referee for a challenge by Genevois on Munir. FC Barcelona missed several match-winning chances towards the end, with young Sandro hitting the post in the 82nd minute and Bartra missing a one-on-one in injury time.
“I’m much more pleased with the second half; we were more serious and better organized with the adjustments made. We’re working hard in training and in these preparation matches,” Luis Enrique explained after the match.
A prestigious match where the Niรงois led the score for nearly 45 minutes against a strong Barcelona team featuring Piquรฉ, Iniesta, and Xavi on the match sheet. The final preparation match gave the staff many reasons for satisfaction, highlighted by newcomer Hult’s outstanding performance and Mouez Hassen’s performance, who made people forget about David Ospina’s transfer to Arsenal.
