Solid against the Alsatians, who were unable to deploy their game, the Eagles secured three crucial points, allowing them to reposition themselves in the top half of the table.
Sunday’s match was dedicated to Enzo Mazzotta. Throughout the afternoon, tributes poured in from all sides to appropriately honor the memory of the young supporter who passed away in a road accident in mid-February. At the end of the warm-up, the Gym players gathered at the foot of the Populaire Sud for a heartfelt tribute. Then, the sport resumed its rights.
It is Strasbourg that arrives at the Allianz Riviera this Sunday afternoon. For their first match in March, the Eagles start the game with a somewhat unexpected formation, with Makengo at the forefront and Atal and Saint-Maximin on the wings. The right flank of the defense is occupied by the young Andy Pelmard.
THE ATAL WEAPON
Facing an ineffective Strasbourg team, the Gym sets its game. Atal dazzles on the right wing, asserting his dominance from the start. After an initial attempt over the bar (5’), Saint-Maximin breaks through on the left side and delivers a strong cross in front of the goal. At the second post, Atal shakes off Liénard and scores (1-0, 20’). Just back from injury, he scores his third goal of the season.
Makengo nearly doubles the score a few minutes later, set up by an excellent Danilo (28’). Later, Cyprien sees his shot deflected by Liénard.
At halftime, both teams change formations. Nice strengthens its defense by moving Atal lower down for a five-defender system. Conversely, Strasbourg opts to reposition Liénard in midfield to be more dangerous.
Just after the restart, Saint-Maximin heads just over the bar (48’), then Strasbourg creates its first chance of the match (53’). Following this, the visitors regain possession and lay siege to the opposing half, while Nice hunkers down.
On a counterattack, Saint-Maximin evades two defenders and crosses (too) strongly in front of the goal, but Danilo fails to adjust and shoots over (69’).
Substitute Burner clears a Mitrovic header off the line during the second half (80’). Nice trembles but holds on until the end. The match finale proves electric, as a major clash between Grandsir and Danilo leads to a scuffle, with the Nice player receiving a blow to the face from the Alsatian substitute, who spends only five minutes on the pitch before receiving a red card. The same punishment is given to Danilo, probably to set an example.
After an interminable injury time (six minutes!), the Gym clinches another valuable win. This victory allows them to climb to seventh place in the standings, totaling 40 points. And to think that the fourth place is only three points away…
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
We wished to score more, but we faced a well-organized Strasbourg team. It was challenging to create opportunities and be offensively dangerous, but we defended well and were solid. After opening the score, we were disciplined and aggressive. We rely on our defensive experience to compensate for our offensive gaps. The goal is to defend well and give the players upfront the freedom to create something. Tactically, we were solid and overall we didn’t steal the 3 points.
PIERRE LEES-MELOU’S REACTION
We were coming off two poor performances: it was good to reconnect with victory. Even though everything wasn’t perfect tonight, we showed great solidarity. We were more dangerous than usual, with clear chances. We win without conceding a goal: it was a good afternoon for us.
ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN’S REACTION
We lost two games that we could have won, and we were keen to deliver a strong performance. We didn’t win 3-0, it was very challenging against a good Strasbourg team, but I think we did well with this great victory. When we play together, we see the result. We’ll have to do everything to repeat this performance.
