On Thursday, OGC Nice hosted the Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles for the 6th day of the mini championship of the Europa League. At the end of a match where not everything was perfect, the Gym finally won in the Europa League (3-1). Almost three years later, the Eagles finally claimed victory on the European stage.
To get a breath of fresh air or delve deeper into the sad records of the Europa League. This Thursday marked the return of OGC Nice in the European Cup. Already eliminated from the competition, the Eagles still had the chance to save face and overshadow another disastrous international campaign this season. Like last year, Mohamed-Ali Cho’s teammates were never able to defend their chances or hope for qualification, not winning any of their European matches. There were two matches left, without any real sporting stakes, to allow the Gym to at least leave this terrible 36th and last position in the standings. To do so, the Niçois had to beat the Dutch team Go Ahead Eagles, currently a modest 13th in their local league, the Eredivisie.
Regarding the lineup, Claude Puel had a massively rejuvenated group, missing most of its key players, injured or unqualified – which was notably the case for the only winter recruit from Nice, Elye Wahi. In a press conference, the OGC Nice coach had warned: he would rotate the squad. This was evident in the red and black starting eleven. Charles Vanhoutte, Salis Abdul Samed, and Ali Abdi were reintroduced. The significantly rejuvenated Niçois bench almost breathed inexperience at the high level.
Nice ahead at halftime, but…
Under pressure from unfazed Dutch players, the Gym conceded the first opportunities of this match, even though Kevin Carlos had the chance to open the scoring. Sent deep, the OGC Nice striker shot too wide and missed his first one-on-one. The Gym pressed, had spaces, and would take advantage. After a poor clearance from the opposing goalkeeper, Tom Louchet recovered the ball and slipped it to Charles Vanhoutte. The Belgian only needed to push the gift into the empty net (1-0, 10’). Nice opened the scoring!
As too often this season, the Eagles fell back into their faults. A slow tempo set in, Peprah Oppong’s teammates suffered. It took the successive help of the post and a goal-line clearance from Juma Bah to prevent Go Ahead Eagles from coming back into this match. The Dutch took advantage of every set piece to be dangerous. And yet, Claude Puel’s men would secure the lead just before the break. With a superb individual sequence, Tiago Gouveia scored the second goal (2-0, 41st).
The Gym finally wins in the Europa League!
Kevin Carlos’s clumsiness did not allow the Gym to definitively seal the match. Alone and close to the goal, the striker watched his shot hit the crossbar. Tiago Gouveia, once again, didn’t miss his chance (3-0, 59th). In great shape, the Portuguese scored his first brace under the red and black colors with a header from a beautiful center by Cho.
And once again, the Gym relaxed immediately afterward. Go Ahead Eagles reduced the gap after an action where Nice’s defense was sorely lacking aggression (3-1, 68th). Not enough to reboot this rather uneventful end of the match. Another piece of good news marked these final minutes: the return to competition of the Eagles’ captain, Dante. After almost three years of waiting, OGC Nice finally claimed a victory on the European stage. This success will remain anecdotal in the standings, but Claude Puel’s men had the merit of saving Nice’s pride and ending this catastrophic negative streak.
Next match this Sunday, January 25, for OGC Nice. In a crucial match to avoid falling into the relegation battle, the Eagles once again travel to Beaujoire to face Nantes for the 19th day of Ligue 1. Kick-off for this crucial match is at 3 PM.
