A very beautiful evening for the promotion of water polo but above all a very beautiful victory for Nice, at the end of a thrilling match with a last-minute conclusion worthy of a good thriller: Foul and expulsion of Mathieu Peisson (54 seconds before the end) and a power play goal by Ezio Khasz with less than 37 seconds remaining.
Nice takes the lead in the standings, the two rival teams (Nice and Montpellier) will have to seek precious points in Marseille to determine which of the two will host the “Final Four” for the 2014 French championship title (Nice has been out of the spotlight since 2004).
Two equally matched teams unable to separate during the four quarters of the game: Nice started off at full speed and, with this advantage (2-0), built their victory (5-4 at halftime).
Never overtaken in the score by the rivals (7-7 then 8-8), the people from Nice delivered the final blow, securing the win just a handful of seconds from the end, thus preventing their opponents from any potential reaction.
The Nice defense was impeccable and the goalkeeper Nicolet was imperial, both defusing the Languedoc strike force.
Ahead of the main event, Nice faced Lille UC in the first leg of the national championship final (L’ONN has held the title since 2009).
The Lille women showed an organization and mastery of the game far superior to that of their opponents. The result (13-6 final score – halftime 10-2) is explicit and the return match risks becoming a leisurely match.
