Travelling to the Meinau to face Strasbourg on Saturday evening, Les Aiglons grabbed a draw (2-2) thanks to Youssouf Ndayishimiye's last minute goal. Melvin Bard had opened the scoring late in the first half.

Right at the end of stoppage time, Youssouf Ndayishimiye rose to the occasion. Just as Franck Haise's men seemed to be heading for a painful defeat, their third in a row, the ‘Bujumbura Wall’ came crashing down on the Alsatian night, converting Jonathan Clauss's perfect corner into the back of the net in the last action of the game (2-2, 90'+4). An important point that may well be remembered at the end of the season, now that every point counts in the final stretch of the race for Europe.

Facing a difficult period, in stark contrast to their opponents this evening, Les Aiglons faced a daunting challenge on Saturday at La Meinau: to beat Racing, who are unbeaten at home since 9 November 2024. With Dante and Melvin Bard returning to the starting line-up after being suspended for last week's defeat by Nantes at the Allianz Riviera (M28, 1-2), the Rouge et Noir were initially made to suffer. Known for their intensity and pressing, Liam Rosenior's team suffocated Le Gym during a difficult first quarter of an hour, marked by Marcin Bulka's decisive save from Dilane Bakwa (9').

BARD SCORES AGAINST STRASBOURG AGAIN

But little by little, Les Aiglons began to establish themselves, with better control of the ball and more resistance in one-on-one situations. Hicham Boudaoui and his team-mates

got themselves back in the game, even creating a good chance when the ‘Prince of Béchar’ fired a clever shot from the edge of the area that Djordje Petrovic just managed to keep out (32'). Even though Racing continued to look dangerous thanks to some well-executed counter-attacks, including another Bulka save from Amo-Ameyaw (31‘) and a last-ditch intervention from Moïse Bombito in front of Emanuel Emegha (37’), it was eventually Le Gym who broke the deadlock.

As in the first game between the two sides, it was Melvin Bard who provided the breakthrough. Drifting into space behind the Alsatian defence, the Nice full-back controlled perfectly to beat Petrovic with the help of the post (0-1, 38'). Jonathan Clauss, who got two assists on the night, was the man who played the ball in.

YOUSSOUF WAKES UP LE GYM

But at the Meinau, games are never over until they're over. The Racingmen came back strongly and turned the game on its head in five minutes at the start of the second half. First through Emegha, who was unstoppable once he got in behind the Côte d'Azur defence (51', 1-1). Then Amo-Ameyaw made the most of Nice losing the ball and Andrey Santos's clever pass (54', 2-1).

Stunned by this sudden turnaround, it took the Aiglons a few moments to recover. With Franck Haise's tactical switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation and the introduction of Morgan Sanson, Badredine Bouanani and Terem Moffi, the Rouge et Noir forced the home side to defend in the closing stages, with Clauss (80') and Sanson (82') both having chances. With three minutes of normal time remaining, it was Youssouf Ndayishimiye who sounded the warning bell, firing in a heavy shot from the edge of the area that Petrovic parried away (87'). Le Gym's vice-captain eventually helped his side come away with a point from the final corner of the game.

As they host Angers on Sunday 20 April at the Allianz Riviera (5:15pm), Dante and Co remain in touch with the top five and are currently sixth, two points and one place behind their opponents. Just as they did on Saturday evening at the Meinau, they will have to fight to the very end for Europe.

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Hugo Rondet