OGC Nice, the last French representative on the European scene, only brought back a draw from Basel (2-2) on Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Europa League Conference, a rather poor and frustrating performance that it will have to be erased in a week. The “Gym” was not in Olympic form in St. Jakob-Park. He leaves his trip to Switzerland with regrets, but the still intact hope of reaching the semi-final of the “small” European Cup.
The Niçois, supported by some 1,800 supporters in Basel, will have the support of the Allianz Arena next Thursday, and it will surely not be too much. The copy returned on Thursday was generally limited, with serious defensive errors and too few offensive combinations. The red and black fans have experienced a rollercoaster evening since their full parking lot: the frustration of a stupidly conceded penalty (24th), the joy of a close double from Terem Moffi (38th, 45th + 1) before the break, then the disappointment of an avoidable equalizer (71st) signed Zeki Amdouni.
Finally, the final result fairly faithfully reflects the tenor of a match that each team dominated in sequences, without ever gaining the upper hand over the other. Nice and its young coach Didier Digard have been going through a less prosperous period for a month and a half, with no victory in the league (five draws in a row then a defeat last Saturday against Paris SG).
UEFA index
A victory next Thursday would restore momentum for the Riviera, at the same time as offering French football some comfort on the continental scene. France fears indeed for its fifth place in the UEFA index, which determines the number of places allocated to the country in the Champions League. The Netherlands are in ambush not far away, and Feyenoord Rotterdam’s victory against AS Roma on Thursday in the Europa League (1-0) is not reassuring. In Basel, the people of Nice could even have left with a defeat in their suitcases.
Fortunately, Kasper Schmeichel kept watch on several occasions, making life-saving saves, especially in the second half (67th, 90th). The hero of the evening could have been called Moffi, but the 23-year-old Nigerian striker’s double, in eight minutes before the break, was not enough. The second goal of the former Lorient, sublime, will remain as an unfinished masterpiece: passes between the lines of Khéphren Thuram, cross center of Gaëtan Laborde and acrobatic return of Moffi, a model of the genre. Number 9 celebrated his wonder in front of the Riviera supporters gathered in the parking lot, who came with smoke bombs, a red and black “Nissa Europa” banner and even fireworks, which they fired from Barfüsserplatz in the aftermath. -noon.
Numb
Before this stroke of genius, the people of Nice played upside down, as if numbed by the Swiss coldness, overwhelmed by opposing breakthroughs in midfield and guilty of rather gross defensive errors. The Aiglons particularly struggled with the progress of Dan Ndoye, a former member of the house. The Swiss winger caused two yellow cards quickly: first for Ayoub Amraoui (18th), then for Jean-Clair Todibo (24th), more problematic because associated with a penalty conceded.
The 23-year-old defender, late on a long ball, inflicted an illegal shoulder blow in the back of Ndoye (23rd). Amdouni, the N.9 from Basel, deceived Schmeichel with cold blood (26th). An uncontrolled gesture, like the general performance of the Niçois.