For the 26th matchday of the championship, the Gym traveled to Nantes with the ambition of returning to victory in Ligue 1 after the draw against Auxerre. Although Nice dominated the match, the Eagles left frustrated with a point.
From the kickoff, Didier Digard’s men took control of the game. Very quickly, the Nice team created the first opportunity with Bouanani (4th minute), which resulted in a corner. From the set-piece, Terem Moffi emerged to open the scoring with a beautiful diving header after just 5 minutes of play. (0-1). Even after this quick goal, the Canaries did not regain possession of the ball. It took until the half-hour mark for Nantes to pose a threat to the Nice goal. It was the former French international, Moussa Sissoko, who initiated Nantes’ revival, first forcing a save from Schmeichel (29th minute), before equalizing with a header from a Blas free-kick (31st minute). Buoyed by this 1-1 goal, the Canaries thought they would turn the game around by winning a penalty. It was Nice’s captain, Dante, who lost possession and committed the foul. Fortunately for Nice, Blas eventually found the crossbar (35th minute).
Aware that the score should be in their favor despite a difficult end to the first half, the Gym returned full of ambition in the second half. The Nice team created multiple chances (48th, 52nd, 59th, 63rd, 64th minutes) before managing to take the lead thanks to another transfer window recruit: Youssouf Ndayishimiye. Assisted by Terem Moffi, the Burundian player scored his first goal in the red and black colors (71st minute). OGC Nice continued to push to secure this victory once and for all, but they were ultimately caught in the final moments. As they have done regularly this season, Antoine Kombouaré’s players managed to equalize with a header from Egyptian Mostafa Mohamed.
The Gym left Beaujoire with the feeling of having let three crucial points slip away in the race for Europe (Nice could have closed the gap to within a point of Lille). Although Digard remains unbeaten on the azure bench, OGC Nice records a second consecutive draw in the championship. The next two fixtures for OGC Nice will be played at the Allianz Riviera, against Sheriff Tiraspol (March 16) and then against FC Lorient (March 19).
