A week after their last outing against Rangers (0-2), the Niçois ended another week of pre-season work with a 2-1 victory at Standard Liege on Saturday for their fifth warm-up game. Felipe Avenatti put the Belgian hosts ahead (32'), but Kasper Dolberg soon levelled from the spot (37') before Hassane Kamara (47') crashed home the matchwinner as Patrick Vieira's men recorded their maiden pre-season win.

Four of the five summer recruits made an appearance in the starting XI with only Flavius Daniliuc not on the pitch at kick-off. Coach Patrick Vieira had not before used as many of his new signings from the start. The Stade de Sclessin saw Morgan Schneiderlin make his long-awaited debut, providing balance to a team filled with attacking talent.

Ferocious pressing was the Niçois' strategy from the off, though it was Walter Benitez who was tested first by Selim Amallah's long-range effort (2').

LE GYM BOUNCE BACK

The first half-hour lacked tempo — perhaps due to the game being played behind closed doors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — as the two 4-3-3 formations made moves and counter-moves effectively. The hosts did manage to make the breakthrough just after the half-hour mark: Collins Fai teed up Avenatti for the Uruguayan to finish (1-0, 32').

The Rouge-et-Noir had had some difficulty finding fluency going forward, but they soon clicked into gear. Dolberg saw a shot saved (36') before Youcef Atal moved down the right and into the box where he was fouled. Dolberg sent Arnaud Bodart the wrong way from the spot (1-1, 37') to net his second pre-season goal.

There would have been a third goal before the interval but for Benitez, who denied Amallah again (41').

KAMARA'S FIRST ROUGE-ET-NOIR GOAL

Schneiderlin called on the team to "play intelligently" after the break, and though he was replaced by Alexis Trouillet at the start of the second half, his teammates followed his advice. Dante picked out the substitute, who played a one-two with Dolberg before turning the ball into the path of Kamara. The left-back unleashed a superb shot to net his first Nice goal and give his new team the lead (1-2, 47'). It was the ideal start to the second half, which proved more lively than the first.

In spite of changing every outfield player 15 minutes before time, Philippe Montanier's men were unable to make up their deficit as Le Gym controlled the end of the game, bar one good late chance for Standard (90+1').

After some more training sessions on home soil, the squad will head to Austria for a training camp between 31 July and 8 August to prepare for the start of the new season on the weekend of August 23. During the training camp, they'll face Slovak side FC DAC 1904 on 1 August and RB Salzburg a week later.

M.S.

The match in pictures :
 

Morgan Schneiderlin's Rouge-et-Noir debut - he played the first 45 minutes.

Robson Bambu started at the heart of the defence

Hicham Boudaoui began the game in midfield

Amine Gouiri moved into the Standard box in the first half

Former Standard man Dante battling for the ball

Youcef Atal and Hicham Boudaoui

After coming off the bench against Rangers, Alexis Claude-Maurice got his first pre-season start.

Kasper Dolberg scored the penalty won by Youcef Atal to level for Nice (37')

Kamara smashed home the matchwinner and registered his first Rouge-et-Noir strike

Photos : J-M.P.

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