After the victory against Paris Saint Germain on penalties in the previous round, OGC Nice hosted its Mediterranean rival and contender for second place in the championship, Olympique de Marseille, for this French Cup quarter-final.
Whether you were a Marseillais, a Niçois, or simply a football fan, everyone agreed that this French Cup quarter-final was going to be an explosive match.
And the start of the match proved everyone right as the first goal was scored in the third minute. It was the lively Turkish winger from Marseille, Cengiz Under, who within the first moments of the match pushed the young Melvin Bard to score an own goal. 0-1 already for Marseille after only 3 minutes of play.
But Nice’s response didn’t take long, as Amine Gouiri sparked a comeback with a superb goal. The former Lyon player received the ball on the left wing and decided to go it alone, cutting through the Marseille defense with dribbles, and finished with a well-placed shot. 1-1 in the 11th minute.
Marseille tried to regain control of the match with several attempts by Guendouzi (14th) and Under (19th) but were unable to hit the target.
Nice also had their strong moments with a fine run by Kluivert (21st) culminating in a shot just centimeters from Lopez’s post and a shot on target by Andy Delort (22nd). Ultimately, both Azur players managed to find a breakthrough by exchanging their usual roles.
The former Montpellier captain transformed into a winger and provided a superb cross for his Dutch teammate, who perfectly headed the ball to beat the OM goalkeeper. Nice takes the lead just before the half-hour mark.
Marseille had only one chance to equalize before halftime with Dimitri Payet. But the Marseille number 10 and captain couldn’t find the target with his curling shot from the edge of the box (43rd).
After the break, both teams returned to the field with completely revamped lineups. OGC Nice, which had started with an unusual 4-3-3, reverted to their usual 4-4-2 formation. Marseille, who also set up in a 4-3-3, switched to a 3-defender formation as is often seen in their play.
With these tactical changes, both teams presented a totally different game. The Marseillais retained possession while Nice exploited counter-attacks in the same manner as the match against PSG.
Marseille believed they had immediately leveled the score thanks to Bakambu, who had just come on, but the Congolese player’s goal was disallowed for offside (47th).
From the rebound, Justin Kluivert found himself launching forward with the ball and finished his run with a powerful shot placed under Lopez’s bar. 3-1 for the Aiglons at the 50th minute thanks to this fantastic goal from the Orange international.
OM suffered a major blow with the cancellation of Bakambu’s goal, followed by Kluivert’s double. Nonetheless, the Marseillais created another opportunity, once again through Bakambu, who, sent deep, lost his duel against Bulka. The Pole managed to deflect the strike with his right buttock (54th).
The knockout blow from Nice came a few moments later by Delort, who was found by Kluivert on a cross. The player loaned by Roma returned the favor to the Algerian international who scored with a flat-footed shot. It’s 4-1 for Nice just after the hour mark!
The despondent Marseillais moved the ball around in Nice’s camp without really finding any spaces against Nice’s well-organized low block. Only Under came close to breaching it in the 87th minute with his famous curling shot but it just grazed Bulka’s post.
OGC Nice pulls off a tremendous coup by crushing Olympique de Marseille 4-1, meaning they advance to the French Cup semifinals. The Aiglons delivered an exceptional performance tonight, tactically sound and clinical in front of goal, deserving this qualification. With this collective masterclass, bolstered by outstanding individual performances, Nice can confidently aspire to win the 2022 French Cup.
The Aiglons’ ratings:
Bulka (7), Daniliuc (5), Todibo (6), Dante (7), Bard (6) – Thuram (7), Rosario (7), Schneiderlin (6), Kluivert (9) – Delort (9), Gouiri (8)
