On Thursday, April 13, the Gym played the first of these two Conference League quarter-final clashes.
In a heavy atmosphere due to the revelations about Christophe Galtier‘s stint at Nice last season, OGC Nice, the last French representative in European competition, approached this first quarter-final against the Swiss team under the spotlight.
Even though the Gym and FC Basel showed almost nothing during the first 20 minutes of the match, there was a noticeable lack of confidence among the Aiglons. Struggling with the few Swiss counterattacks, the team from the Azure Coast conceded a penalty in the 26th minute. Jean-Clair Todibo was at fault for a foul on the former Nice player Dan Ndoye, and it was Zeki Amdouni who opened the scoring (1-0).
Despite this opening goal, the Nice team responded at the right time in this match, just before halftime through Terem Moffi. It all started with a long ball from Rosario to Ramsey, the Welshman deflected it to Laborde who found his Nigerian teammate to equalize in the 37th minute. Driven by this equalizer, the Gym continued to attack to take the lead. And it was again the Laborde-Moffi duo who shone, with the former Rennes player delivering a perfect cross to his partner who executed an acrobatic scissors kick. 1 to 2 in the final seconds of the first half, thanks to a sensational goal that will remain in Nice’s history.
The Nice team came back with very good intentions in the second half. From the opening minutes of this second act, the Aiglons pushed forward without putting themselves in danger. Unfortunately for Didier Digard‘s men, the Swiss team managed to equalize during their strong period (71st). It was Zeki Amdouni who, like Terem Moffi, scored a double in this match. After this new equalizer, both teams neutralized each other and the match concluded with a score of 2-2.
A mediocre operation for OGC Nice in Switzerland. While the Aiglons returned to the Côte d’Azur with a point taken from the other side of the Alps, they were capable of bringing back a victory. The return match at the Allianz Riviera on Thursday, April 20, is already on everyone’s minds and promises to be thrilling.
