The Gym is back on track! After a stressful evening, Nice took the lead, saw LOSC catch up, but pushed to move forward. A late goal from Cyprien solidified their good intentions and allowed them to earn three points.
Was it the cold? The uncertain scenario? The fear that without a cushion, the Gym might be caught up? There was likely a bit of all this during the 96 minutes of play this Friday. But the Aiglons ensured the essential: victory. Following an early goal by Super Mario, who smashed in a corner from Cyprien right away (1-0, 5’), they didn’t manage to submerge their opponent until a decisive 80th minute, despite clearly dominating the debates led by a brilliant Allan Saint-Maximin.
Positioned on the right of the offensive trio, the number 7 put Ballo-Touré through thousands of troubles, especially during the first 45 minutes. A quarter of an hour in, he took inside, entered the penalty area, went outside, brought his opponent down but found Maignan’s gloves at the end of his move. Before that, Mario also encountered the keeper trained at PSG (10’). Shortly after, Mika Seri didn’t capitalize on an ASM cross, as the Ivorian’s attempt from the penalty spot lacked power.
Despite possession and territorial dominance, the Gym was troubled by quick attacks from the north. Defending deep, Christophe Galtier’s men (organized in a 4-2-3-1) would burst forward whenever they regained possession thanks to their flank arrows (Pépé on the right and Araujo on the left). Each local error resulted in a swift LOSC attack. Dante twice acted as firefighter in the first half, then Mothiba missed the target following a Cyprien turnover (23’). And even with a series of Nice corners toward the end of the half, the red and black supporters greeted halftime with a tinge of anxiety.
This anxiety echoed upon return from the break. The cause? A 50-meter one-two between Araujo, starting from the center circle, and Pépé, leading to an equalizer by the former. Already a scorer in the Coupe de la Ligue, Araujo capitalized on the passive attitude of the red and black block to open his right foot (1-1, 51’). Everything had to be redone by the Aiglons. They tried to get back into it quickly but missed a series of opportunities.
The series? A fumbled cross from Plea that Ballo-Touré cleared just in time to a corner (54’). A cross from Coly — very comfortable offensively — smashed by Balotelli and punched out by Maignan (58’). A volley from Tameze cleared off the line by Maia following the same corner; a footed attempt from Seri that flew over (59’); a toe poke from Balotelli that went wide (63’); then a placed shot from the Italian — well set up by Saint-Maximin — straight into the Lille goalkeeper’s arms (78’)…
Despite these missed chances, the Gym did well to believe until the end. They neither lowered their arms nor their heads. Then Lucien Favre called upon a returning player: Arnaud Souquet. Winning coaching, as the former Lille player stormed onto the field like a bomb. Just like in times not so long ago, he sprinted down his flank from his first steps, received a pass from Saint-Maximin, looked up, and delivered a perfect cross to the far post. A perfect cross that Wylan Cyprien converted with the inside of his foot, delivering his team (2-1, 80’).
The Gym closed the door and finally secured 3 precious points thanks to a monstrous save by Benitez on a header from Ié, in added time (93’). Three points that greatly boost morale, two weeks before the visit of the Parisian giant…
THE STAT: 3000
This Friday, Mario Balotelli scored OGC Nice’s 3000th goal in the top division. Quite symbolic.
History will remember that this round figure was reached through an action by the Italian star. Who else could better take the pen to keep the tally…
OGC Nice is the 7th team to reach this milestone behind Marseille, St Etienne, Bordeaux, Sochaux, Monaco & Lyon.
LUCIEN FAVRE’S REACTION
It was important. The point at Bordeaux was already significant, a hard-earned point that felt good. Tonight, we started the match well. We scored quickly and continued thereafter. We wanted to score the second by being intelligent and patient, but instead, we conceded the 1-1 right at the restart. However, there was a magnificent reaction from the team with quite a few opportunities. The victory is deserved over the entire match even though it was difficult.
