OGC Nice was defeated by Sochaux (2-0) on matchday 36 but secured its place in Ligue 1 thanks to Evian’s defeat at Reims.
Relieved despite the defeat, Claude Puel’s men can thank Reims for their victory over Evian. The Eagles would have preferred to secure their place on the pitch themselves. But the game played yesterday afternoon offered no glimpse of anything other than a defeat by the end of the match.
Sluggish at the start of the match, Nice suffered the opponents’ attacks without reacting. The Contout-Ayew duo was very active on the attacking front, giving work to the azure defense. Playing on the counter, the Gym could have found the breakthrough twice in this match. The first time, a placed shot within the area by Pied was miraculously saved on the line by Carlao.
The second time was in the second half following an uncalled foul against Cvitanich. The Argentinian exaggerated, but he was indeed held in the area. The penalty would not have been illogical. Apart from these two actions, the Red and Black played on the counter without ever managing to trouble the Sochaux goalkeeper.
In between, there were the two goals conceded. Unlucky on the first goal, Pejcinovic sent the ball into his own net after a dazzling run by Ayew on the right side of the area (45th, 1-0).
In the second half, it was again Jordan Ayew who stood out. Receiving a perfect cross from Corchia, the former Marseille player placed a powerful header into Ospina’s top corner. The Colombian goalkeeper could do nothing about it (57th, 2-0).
Subsequently, Cvitanich was expelled after receiving a second yellow card for dissent. It really wasn’t the Eagles’ day, but despite not reassuring themselves, the essential remains accomplished with safety officially secured, albeit painfully.
The upcoming match against Evian carries a much less dramatic tone after this day.
