The evening promised to be thrilling on the Ray hill with the eaglets warming up in shirts supporting Nice’s bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018. With a Luxembourgish referee, Alain Hamer, on the whistle, the match could begin with an early Parisian incursion ending in a corner that would yield nothing. Hellebuyck tried a free kick but his attempt ended a meter away from Landreau’s post.
In one of the following actions, Loïc Remy had to leave his teammates due to a sprain on his right ankle. Antonetti opted for Mouloungui, while Hoarau forced Lionel Letizi to make his first save rapidly followed by another against Sessegnon. The Nice guardian angel seemed in good form and fully recovered from his injury. Hellebuyck also made Landreau shine with a free kick, and the game became much less fluid on both sides. Half an hour in, Mouloungui almost opened the score perfectly served by Diakité but his header was saved triumphantly by the Parisian goalkeeper. There were five minutes left before the break and the Nice players pushed to score a precious goal before returning to the locker rooms. Corner for the eaglets, Hellebuyck delivered a precise cross to Mouloungui, shaking off Sakho to send the ball into the Parisian net. The last minutes produced nothing more, and the Nice team could be pleased with this first half where they had created several good opportunities.
Paul Le Guen then switched to coaching mode, replacing Chantôme and Hoarau with Giuly and Kezman. “They’re bringing on the heavyweights.” These substitutions didn’t reassure the Nice stands, and indeed, the former Barcelona player immediately appeared dangerous with a good cross deflected by Apam, only to return the ball to Rothen, who ultimately only found the side netting of Lionel Letizi’s goal. The game regained some vigor, with actions swinging from one side to the other but without final success. Echouafni, very present last night, pushed and found Fae, who followed with a beautiful right-foot shot forcing Landreau into a decisive save. The hour mark had just passed, and a chill ran through the Ray stadium with a ball in the back of the azurean net. Off a shot from Luyindula, Letizi could only parry the ball into Kezman’s path, who scored but was flagged offside. A harmless warning for Frédéric Antonetti’s men.
Spaces became more numerous on the green field, but finishing was lacking within each attack, with Lionel Letizi strong and efficient against Giuly and Rothen. The minutes passed, but Nice were not safe from a Parisian comeback, attempting everything. The tension was palpable on the field as well as in the Ray stands, and regulation time ended with the announcement of three additional minutes from the announcer. The players from the capital pushed, but Lionel Letizi was still vigilant, perfectly capturing a good cross from Armand. Alain Hamer blew the final whistle. The eaglets could savor the victory and the three points that propelled them to sixth place in the ranking. They moved within one point of Toulouse and Bordeaux, three points from Olympique de Marseille, and seven points from Lyon, who defeated Le Mans last night at Gerland.
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