The start of the match is dominated by Nice, and it doesn’t take long for the first caution to occur. Cyril Rool, a frequent recipient of yellow cards, kicks the ball out of play after the referee’s whistle following a foul by the Nice defender.
It takes 7 minutes for the first dangerous moment from Nice with a close-range header by Moussilou, pushed away by Douchez. A minute later, a strong header from Battles worries the red and black camp, with a splendid save from Lloris whose stop rebounds onto the crossbar. The young Nice goalkeeper doesn’t have time to rest and must dive to save a very dangerous cross from Toulouse just seconds after his initial save.
The game swiftly moves from one end to the other, with both teams clearly intent on playing aggressively to quickly get near the opponent’s goal. At the fifteenth minute, there’s a brief unexpected interlude featuring a frantic sprint by a Toulouse supporter who, unlike his English counterparts, kept his pants on.
Play resumes, and Lloris once again makes his presence felt with a great two-fisted clearance following a corner, then a great save on a strike by Fabinho that looked destined for the top corner. As halftime approaches, the score remains 0-0, with Toulouse now regaining control of the ball.
A good free kick, following an elbow by Ebondo on Koné, leads to a well-placed cross by Ederson that the Toulouse defense struggles to clear. The Nice players start gaining momentum as halftime approaches, played at a good pace for an early season match.
Arribage also receives a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Koné, and the ensuing action will only result in an obvious offside by Moussilou alone in the box against Douchez. For now, the game has settled into a pattern of attack/defense, with Elie Baup’s players taking the offensive roles while Frédéric Antonetti’s proteges handle the defense, Fanny notably outperforming a luckless Mansare. The Toulouse players still control the ball but seldom approach the Nice penalty area.
The 36th minute is marked by the exit of Florent Balmont due to injury, and the entrance of Marama Vahirua who appears to have recovered well from a knock in the last league match. Another injury for Nice with Yahia hurting his ankle after a heavy tackle by Elmander but it’s more of a scare as the red and black defender returns to the field after treatment from the physiotherapist Philippe Boulon.
As halftime draws near, both teams now ease off with the clear intent of not entering the break a goal down. Ángelo Abardonado, the central pillar of the Nice defense, continues to clear Toulouse’s crossing attempts.
However, after a cross, Battles’ attempt is pushed away by Lloris onto Fabinho whose strike crashes against the base of the post, redirecting the ball to Elmander who lays it back to Jeremy Mathieu who too easily fools the Nice goalkeeper with a right-footed shot to open the scoring before dedicating his goal to his son: 1-0 for Toulouse. This goal, despite a clear offside, is ultimately validated by the linesman.
Moussilou could have evened the score if his strike had been more accurate after a huge blunder by the Toulouse defense. The half is whistled to a close by Mr. Cailleux, who has officiated with precision and efficiency.
The second half starts like the first with Nice applying good pressure. Fanni tests the Toulouse goalkeeper, who stands firm against the strike from the eagle. The battle is fierce in midfield, and the Toulouse defense does not exhibit complete confidence against the pressing Nice players not capitalizing on the situation.
Fifteen minutes in, and Marama Vahirua still hasn’t touched his first ball due to the intense battle in midfield. Another offside by Moussilou punctuates the first dangerous attack from Nice, starting with a fine pass from a rediscovered Vahirua. Speaking of the Tahitian wolf…
Two consecutive corners give cold sweats to the island coach, but OGC Nice remains one goal away from a draw. The intensity is not as high as in the first half, with Toulouse players keen to win and Nice players trying to bring a point home before their upcoming match against the formidable Lyon at the Ray stadium on Saturday.
