After the explosive victory against Olympique de Marseille (4-1) on Wednesday in the Coupe de France, OGC Nice returned to Ligue 1 to face another Olympique team, Lyon.
Struggling significantly since the start of the 2021-2022 season, this match appeared to be a crucial moment for the Lyon season, while the Aiglons had the chance to reclaim the second place behind PSG, which they lost against Clermont.
The Lyonnais started the match strongly. From the first few minutes, a completely different team was seen from the start of the season. With a lot of commitment and forward play, Nice quickly found themselves in a difficult position in this match. In the second minute, Justin Kluivert, the man of the match against Marseille, touched the ball with his hand in the box, granting a penalty to OL. Moussa Dembele stepped up to take the penalty and missed, but the VAR called for a retake. On his second attempt, the former PSG youth player converted his shot, opening the scoring in the sixth minute.
Nice tried to respond on the counter, but the Rhodanien defense and midfield performed impeccable defensive work, disrupting Nice’s ball progression. The Gym struggled to create play and was often caught by Lyon’s offensives.
Lyon came close to scoring 2-0 just before halftime thanks to Thiago Mendes, but Gouiri saved the ball on the line (41st minute).
After the break, Peter Bosz’s men restarted at the same pace and quickly found the back of the net through their winter signings.
Romain Faivre made a great play to pass to Tanguy Ndombele, who sent a strong low cross to the far post for Karl Toko Ekambi, who just had to push the ball into the net (2-0, 52nd minute). A goal that would further boost a Lyon team full of confidence, exemplified by Paqueta’s display of top-notch technical skills.
To change the match’s dynamic, Christophe Galtier brought in several attacking players at the hour mark, but the match was already decided.
Indeed, Lyon continued to dominate and could have increased the score to 3-0 with more precision in the final touch.
Lyon logically won this match, with Peter Bosz delivering an excellent tactical masterclass. OGC Nice was overwhelmed by OL, only managing one shot on goal and enduring the constant Lyon attacks.
The Gym thus recorded their second consecutive defeat in Ligue 1, two losses likely linked to the Coupe de France matches. To beat Paris and Marseille, Nice surely focused on these two big matches, thus neglecting the league.
OGC Nice remains third in Ligue 1 and could have just a one-point lead over fourth-place Strasbourg by the end of this 24th day.
