Still undefeated at home, OGC Nice won 1-0 against Marseille and made a significant impact for the rest of their season. Pushed on by a full stadium, Claude Puel’s men showed solidarity and efficiency, well-supported by a heroic David Ospina.
Before this match, Marseille seemed like a bogey team, relentless in their role as a nemesis (with 15 wins and 13 draws in Nice’s territory out of 45 matches). However, the Nice team quickly managed to foil the trap set by Marseille’s collective. Aggressive towards the ball carrier, tactically well-organized, and able to quickly project forward, the red and black players have literally taken a step forward in their early season during this match.
A beautiful reaction of pride after the upset on the field of Toulouse (a 1-0 defeat) before the break. A recurring transformation between home and away performances. The start of the match was sluggish, and it was even Marseille that created a few dangerous situations, poorly exploited by a still-convalescent Gignac. On the other hand, OGC Nice played their offensive moves to the full but exposed themselves and appeared more defensively shaky. The “Aiglons” weathered the Olympian storm before finally opening the score through good work by Mahamane Traoré, decisive for the unavoidable Dario Cvitanich. The Malian recovered a ball at Rod Fanni’s feet before launching the Argentine, who, with a clever feint, managed to get past Mandanda and score into the empty net.
Shortly before, Traoré himself could have opened the scoring with a bit more precision on a side-footed shot in the box sent just over the Marseille keeper’s crossbar. Jeremy Pied hit the post with a close-range shot after a setup by Cvitanich.
At halftime, Nice logically led against a pale Marseille team. The second half saw Elie Baup’s protégés create a number of chances. However, the lack of realism and especially a gigantic David Ospina prevented the equalizer. Present on all Marseille shots, the Nice goalkeeper was even lucky enough to be assisted by his post on a shot from André Ayew. Making world-class saves like on André-Pierre Gignac’s header under the bar at the very end of the match, the Colombian was the main architect of this victory despite the time difference and a “prolonged nap” until 3 PM.
Marseille probably deserved a draw but faltered in finishing. In the game, Valbuena’s teammates were not brilliant either, simply lacking the outrageous luck they had last season. Quite the opposite of OGC Nice. Riding high, the “Aiglons” knew how to score at the right moment without creating many chances. Dario Cvitanich did the job on his first shot of the game, as he has already done eleven times since joining the club, with few good balls to negotiate. At the back, the spirit made the difference with a good performance from the Digard, Mendy duo and the central defense. The weak points were on the wings, where Puel and Kolodziejczak struggled to defend. Upfront, Pied and Bruls seemed off-pace, not impactful enough with the ball at their feet. Beyond these small imperfections, Nice secured 3 valuable points, reassured their gameplay, and reached a promising fourth place in the Ligue 1 standings. A positive sign before facing Bastia in their Furiani stronghold.
Photo credit: www.ogcnice.com
