OGC Nice put in an impressive performance on their Europa League opener, but were held to a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad, despite showing their determination and combative spirit.

Facing one of Europe's heavyweights, Les Aiglons showed no signs of intimidation. In their inaugural Europa League group stage match on Wednesday, Nice dominated the game and arguably deserved a win. However, European competitions can be unforgiving, and the lack of efficiency from Les Rouge et Noir, despite dominating, prevented them from starting their European campaign with a prestigious victory.

Five days after their historic 8-0 win against Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1, Dante and his teammates donned their continental jerseys, eager to continue their strong form and give their fans another dazzling display. With Mohamed-Ali Cho sidelined due to a foot injury, Franck Haise made two changes to the team that beat Saint-Étienne: Badredine Bouanani started in place of his fellow forward, while Tom Louchet earned his first start of the season, replacing Tanguy Ndombele.

A goal against the run of play

Continuing their high-intensity press, Les Aiglons immediately applied pressure on a reshuffled Real Sociedad, who lined up in a 3-5-2 formation. Building on their momentum from the weekend, Evann Guessand and Youssoufa Moukoko reaffirmed their partnership, with the former setting up the latter for a shot that went just wide of the left post (3'). Physically superior and relentlessly attacking, the home side were held back by some technical errors in the opening fifteen minutes, losing possession on a few occasions, which Sociedad exploited.

While Mikel Oyarzabal couldn’t convert a pass from Brais Méndez (8’), Ander Barrenetxea made no mistake shortly after. Following a poor ball from Bouanani to Rosario, Méndez intercepted and found Barrenetxea, whose powerful right-footed shot from the edge of the box left Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bułka with no chance (0-1, 18’).

Stunned by this goal against the run of play, Nice took a few minutes to regroup. Impressive in their ability to regain possession high up the field, Les Azuréens struggled to convert their chances into clear-cut opportunities. They nearly found themselves in deeper trouble if not for a crucial intervention by Jonathan Clauss, who thwarted Oyarzabal as he approached Bułka one-on-one (37’).

Rosario strikes again

Bolstered by their 14 ball recoveries in the opponent's final third during the first half alone, Franck Haise’s men were eventually rewarded for their pressing efforts. After attempting to link-up with Bouanani, Rosario fought to win the ball inside the box and followed up with a right-footed strike. His well-placed effort beat Remiro, putting Nice back on track and delighting the home crowd, as the midfielder scored his second goal in as many matches—after not scoring in his previous 117 appearances (1-1, 45’).

Energised by their equaliser, Les Rouge et Noir began the second half as they had ended the first: with intensity. Their relentless pressing seemed to tip the game in their favour when Dante was pulled down by his shirt inside the box by Jon Pacheco, earning a penalty. Guessand stepped up, but Remiro made a fine save to his right, denying the Ivorian forward (55’).

A dominant Nice finish

As the minutes ticked by, Nice intensified their pressure, snuffing out any potential Sociedad counter-attacks by pushing their line higher and higher. Despite frequently finding themselves in shooting positions, they lacked composure in their finishing, as seen with Bouanani (56’) and Guessand’s (59’) shots, which both missed the target.

Late substitutes Tanguy Ndombele and Sofiane Diop brought additional technical quality to the side, but it was third substitute Victor Orakpo who came closest to making the difference. Positioned well to meet a headed pass from Dante in the box, the young Nigerian forward (18 years old) saw his shot graze Remiro’s post (85’).

Although they didn’t get the win, Les Aiglons secured a valuable point to kick off their European campaign. Next up, they face another formidable opponent on Thursday 3 October, as they head to Rome to take on Lazio, just five days after their league trip to Lens (Saturday at 5pm).

---

Hugo Rondet