Un draw after the horror. For its entry into the group stage of the C4, Nice concedes a draw in Cologne (1-1) at home. Dominated in the first half, the Aiglons performed better in the second half and equalized with Andy Delort who answered Steffen Tigges’ opener (19e). Kick-off was postponed by 55 minutes after violent clashes between supporters of the two teams. An hour before the match kicked off, several hundred hooded supporters in the colors of the Cologne club, out of the more than 8,000 present in the Ray stand, invaded the presidential stand, or Ségurane stand, to go to battle with the Nice supporters, installed, them, in popular southern tribune. The toll is heavy with 18 injured, including one seriously.
Disappointing since the resumption of Ligue 1, Stade Rennes was just as disappointing for its start in the Europa League by narrowly winning 2 goals to 1 after additional time on the ground of the modest Cypriot team of Larnaca , Thursday, during the 1D group stage day. The hero of the day is the young defender Lorenz Assignon, who scored the goal of a narrow victory just ten minutes after coming on as a replacement for the Croatian Lovro Majer, decked out in a black mask due to a fracture of the nose.
Bruno Génésio’s players, with Steve Mandanda in goal, had however ideally entered the match, investing the Cypriot camp from the first minutes. From the 16e minute, Belgian international defender Arthur Theate narrowly failed to recover and score at the far post, following a corner taken by Majer and deflected with a header by captain Hamari Traoré. It was only a postponement for Theate, who arrived from Bologna this summer, who found the opening 13 minutes later with a superb long shot from the left, entering the goal with the help of a post (29e).
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But things would quickly go wrong for the Red and Blacks, victims of a culpable release half an hour into the game: a center from Venezuelan Roberto Rosales found the head of Spaniard Oier, former Osasuna, completely forgotten at the far post, who equalized (1-1, 33e). More serious for Rennes, the game was then balanced. The deliverance finally came at the end of the end of additional time, the very inspired incoming Assignon scoring with a furious recovery under the bar, on receiving a cross from Soulemana (90 + 4). Stade Rennes, eliminated in the round of 16 of the Europa League Conference last year by Leicester, will continue with the reception of Auxerre on Sunday in the league, then that of the Turkish club Fenerbahçe next Thursday in this group B which also includes the Dynamo Kyiv.
Evann Guessand delivers FC Nantes in the last seconds
In a fiery atmosphere at La Beaujoire, FC Nantes won 2 goals to 1 against the Greeks of Olympiakos, thanks to a goal after additional time signed Evann Guessand (90e + 3). Eighteen years after their last European match, the Canaries struggled to get the three points, after a big blunder from Alban Lafont allowed Olympiakos to equalize (50e). Dominating in the first period, Antoine Kombouaré’s men had logically opened the scoring through Mostafa Mohamed (32e).
Finally, on the side of the Marakana of Belgrade, AS Monaco won by a short header against the Red Star (1-0) thanks to a penalty converted by their striker Breel Embolo (74e). Goalkeeper Alexander Nübel distinguished himself with several decisive saves to allow the Principality’s players to start their European campaign in the best possible way.