Solid and courageous, the Eaglets secured a valuable victory in Austria (0-1) thanks to Alassane Pléa. A narrow success that allows them to get back in the race for qualification.
They were under pressure. The victory was almost obligatory after a poor start. Supported by an exceptional contingent of Nice supporters (nearly 1,260 traveled to Austria), the Eaglets trembled but did not falter.
Fielded as usual in a 3-5-2 formation, Lucien Favre’s men saw slight changes in their midfield: Bodmer alone facing the defense, accompanied by Koziello and Walter as relayers. Up front, Eysseric was positioned in support of Alassane Pléa, in the absence of Mario Balotelli.
Right from the start, the Austrians applied heavy pressing and blocked the Niçois. But in the 12th minute, Pléa went alone to pressure Paulo Miranda, who lost the ball. The Nice striker only had to face goalkeeper Walke and beat him with a shot between the legs.
Immediately afterwards, Salzburg reacted, led by a fiery Soriano. But Cardinale was vigilant and deflected a first shot onto his post (16th), before being assisted by Baysse against Gulbransen (20th). Another scare went through the Nice camp when Lainer missed the target halfway through the first half.
At the end of the first half, Pléa (again) served Walter to start a counter-attack, but Walter’s control was too long, and the action amounted to nothing.
The Nice ship shakes but does not sink
Accustomed to strong match starts, the Eaglets found themselves in the position of hunted prey. Two new Austrian chances proved it (47th, 58th). A minute later, it was Pléa who missed the opportunity to seal the victory after a solo raid. In the last ten minutes, the Nice striker had more chances but couldn’t put the Gym in the clear.
And despite everything, Nice held firm. First in a 3-5-2, then in a 4-2-3-1 after the introductions of Seri, Cyprien, and Belhanda to strengthen the midfield. The effect was successful as the Gym managed and had a calm end to the match to ensure the essential: the first three points of their European season. Three points thoroughly deserved, as the Eaglets were brave and enterprising – enough to rekindle the interest in Group I and restore hope to an entire people and the courageous who made the journey.
The stat: 1
This Thursday night’s win in Austria is to be marked with a white stone. It is the very first away victory for OGC Nice in European cup competition, in 21 trips (1 win, 4 draws, and 16 defeats).
It is also the first time that the Eaglets have not conceded a goal away from home.
Lucien Favre’s reaction:
“It’s perfect to raise a little hope. We will play match by match. Winning today was very important to hope to continue in the competition. We’ll first think about the Metz match in 3 days before focusing on the next Europa League match. We could have had more opportunities if we had played better in the first half. We didn’t always execute well in the penultimate pass. At half-time, at 0-1, we were already content. That’s enough. In the second half, we weren’t in the right tempo anymore. I don’t know if we were tired. It seemed as if we were surprised to recover the ball, and as a result, we lost it too quickly. It will take us many months of work to correct this type of problem.”
Keeping an eye on the competition
In the other group game, Schalke 04 won on the field of Krasnodar with a score of 0-1, thanks to a goal by Yevhen Konoplyanka in the 11th minute.
In the standings, the German club occupies the top with 9 points. Schalke leads their opponent of the evening, who has 6 points. Nice is third with 3 points, and Salzburg is at the bottom, without having won a single match.
