From the start of the match, the Bordeaux players pressed very high on the midfield and Nice’s defense, which could only hold for ten minutes before Geraldo Wendel launched a missile from almost 35 meters on a free kick, giving David Ospina no chance. Despite a good dive, he could only lament the damage. Bordeaux led quite logically. The score could have been even heavier just minutes later if the Nice goalkeeper hadn’t diverted a good attempt from Cavenaghi, well served by Chalmé, with his foot. This scare had the merit of waking up the Nice team, who tried to come back to the scoresheet thanks to a stellar Cyril Rool making dashes down his wing, yet unable to find a taker in the Bordeaux box. Habib Bamogo was replaced by Mahamane Traoré after a collision with Gouffran, and Tony Chapron sent both teams to the locker rooms with a minimal advantage for Laurent Blanc’s men.
Frédéric Antonetti’s halftime speech seemed to have been clear, and the Azureans resumed the match energetically with Hellebuyck on a free kick and then Traoré, who tried to deceive Ramé’s vigilance, who had been resolute until now. It seemed like the red and black were on the right path to catch up, but the situation plummeted quickly when Diego Placente entered the box against Traoré, who had no choice but to trip the Bordeaux player. A rather indisputable penalty was perfectly executed by Cavenaghi, who took David Ospina the wrong way. This time, the score was quite severe, especially considering that Laurent Blanc made a luxury coaching move by bringing on Gourcuff, Obertan, and Diarra to replace Cavenaghi, Gouffran, and Wendel, while Antonetti replaced Ben Saada with Mouloungui and Echouafni with Jeunechamp. David Ospina once more stood out by diverting a nice turn-and-shoot strike by Chamack, allowing the Nice team to charge again at the Bordeaux box.
New corner kick for the Azureans, taken by David Hellebuyck; the Bordeaux defense cleared as they could, always falling back on Hellebuyck, who this time found Mouloungui perfectly, who headed the ball past Ramé. The move was marred by a clear offside from the scorer, which the assistant referee did not see. With only 5 minutes left to play, hope was reignited in the Ray’s stands, cheering every Nice move. Ramé punched away another free kick from a very lively Hellebuyck, and the regulation time came to an end. The stadium announcer then declared 4 minutes of added time.
The Bordeaux players passed the ball around, forcing the Nice players to pressure them in their half, with the crowd still relentlessly urging their team on with each possession. In a heated action in the Bordeaux box, Ducasse committed an almost involuntary handball, which Mr. Chapron quickly awarded as a penalty. Protests were strong from Laurent Blanc’s men, but the referee’s decision was final, and Loic Rémy took the responsibility for the ensuing kick. As the seconds passed, the game was paused. Loïc Remy took his run-up and sent Ramé the wrong way, giving the stadium the right to an explosion of joy. A final Bordeaux corner resulted in nothing, and ultimately, it was an unexpected draw that the Nice team snatched thanks to a stunning last five minutes and fierce determination.
Certainly, the three points are not on the table, but sometimes a draw can feel almost like a victory against a team like Bordeaux. A point is sometimes everything!
