OGC Nice was defeated (0-0, 4-5 on penalties) by Rennes during the penalty shootout in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
The scenario two weeks ago against Dijon in the Coupe de la Ligue quarterfinals did not repeat itself this time… Despite a serious match and a very good performance by Raul Fernandez, Nice suffered defeat last night against Stade Rennais and bid farewell to the Coupe de France. More dangerous but also very clumsy in the final move, the players of former Nice coach Frédéric Antonetti had to wait until the end of extra time and the penalty shootout to clinch their ticket to the Round of 8.
Rennes dominates, Raul Fernandez delays the outcome
In an open and closely contested match between the two teams, Nice never really managed to trouble the Rennes defense, which notably included former Nice player Apam. Too imprecise, like Montano who missed three clear chances, Rennes also struggled to find the back of the net. Only Feret, who played a very good match, managed to send shivers through Stade du Ray. But without counting the excellent performance of the Peruvian goalkeeper Raul Fernandez. The backup for Ospina particularly stood out with a clever lob by the former Nancy player, tipped by his fingertips onto the crossbar in the 92nd minute, just before extra time.
Nice resists with 10 men against 11
Extra time weighed heavily on the legs of both teams. Especially for Didier Digard’s teammates, who had to play with 10 men against 11 during these 30 extra minutes due to Bahoken’s injury (after all three substitutions had been made). The pace of the game dropped considerably, and the Nice team managed to resist the Bretons. Only Féret, again, endangered the Nice defense twice without really hitting the target (106th and 119th minutes). During the penalty shootout, coach René Marsiglia decided to field the same five takers as against Dijon in the Coupe de la Ligue. Unfortunately, former Lyon player Anthony Mounier missed his penalty, allowing Rennes to secure their spot. A match and a result that are likely to hurt both physically and psychologically for the Nice team.
The Azur team, sitting 18th in the standings, must now focus on the championship and prepare to host Montpellier for the 21st round of Ligue 1.
