As part of the twelfth day of the League, the Gym traveled to Angers this Sunday, October 31, with the ambition of becoming PSG’s runner-up.
After the frustrating draw on Wednesday night against OM, the Aiglons wanted to leave Raymond Kopa with a victory. Moreover, Lens’s defeat against Lyon last night (2-1) provided the opportunity to take the second place in the standings.
Nonetheless, it was the Angers players who started the match with much more intensity than the Nice players. In the first 10 minutes of the match, Angers kept possession and pressed the Azure defense, which struggled to relaunch.
After 20 minutes of play, a battle in the midfield ensued. Despite SCO’s counter attempts, it was Delort who fired the first shot of the match with a daring outside attempt, but it wasn’t on target (22nd minute). Three minutes later, he executed a header that smashed against Bernardoni’s post. The Nice players really began to get into the game, and this time it was Da Cunha, found by Atal, who tried his luck.
Despite these attempts, unfortunately, it was Angers who scored the first goal of the match, thanks to Sofiane Boufal. On the left side, the Moroccan international, with his stepovers, provoked Atal in the area, the Algerian unbalanced him, resulting in a penalty. The former Southampton player did not hesitate and converted the penalty he had earned, making it 1-0 for Angers in the 29th minute. The Gym pushed for an equalizer in the following minutes, but the Aiglons returned to the locker room with the same score.
The start of the second half clearly showed the Aiglons’ determination to quickly get back into the match. Galtier’s men monopolized the ball and pressured SCO, which paid off thanks to Andy Delort, who had been unfortunate until then. After a nice combination with his partner Gouiri in the center, the player from Sète fought to strike, the shot was deflected by Thomas and lobbed Bernardoni. 1-1 just before the hour mark.
After equalizing, Angers attempted to respond from the flanks without success, while the Gym managed to have a few chances with a one-on-one by Gouiri (69th) and then a shot by Da Cunha (72nd). Numerous changes were made, but Boufal was again at the center of play. After a nice assist from Brahimi, he was close to scoring a brace and regaining the lead, but it was blocked by Dante (82nd).
In the final moments of this match, it was Nice who regained control of the ball and faced the deep block of Angers. The Azure players pushed and provoked a corner, Gouiri recovered at the left corner of the area but his cross was headed away by Thomas. Instinctively, Andy Delort followed up and executed a magnificent volley from 20 meters to give OGC Nice the victory!
Nice won this match with a score of 1-2! Returning from the locker room with a lot of determination, the Azure players, who were trailing, regained the match thanks to Andy Delort. The Algerian international, who did not play against OM on Wednesday because he was not with Nice in August, was able to recharge and demonstrate how indispensable he already is to this team. Thanks to his two goals, OGC Nice turned the match around and became the runner-up to Paris Saint-Germain!
