Despite a number of absentees, OGC Nice won 2-1 against Le Havre at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday. Gaëtan Laborde and Badredine Bouanani scored for Le Gym.

The Aiglons may be suffering from a number of absences as 2024 draws to a close, but their courage was in evidence at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday. Despite all the adversity, OGC Nice end the first half of the season unbeaten at home in Ligue 1. Despite a considerably younger squad, which saw Yaël Nandjou (19) start his second consecutive league game and Issiaga Camara (19) and Amidou Doumbouya (17) finish it, Le Gym got the job done to defeat Le Havre (2-1) on Saturday and bounce back after a difficult week.

Beaten twice by the same scoreline (4-1) in the Europa League against Rangers and then on their travels to Lyon, Franck Haise's men were left with a bitter taste of frustration, despite some encouraging signs in the Rhône. That feeling is about to leave them, as they left it all on the pitch this Saturday.

OMNIPRESENT LOUCHET

But things got off to a bad start. Facing Didier Digard's Le Havre, who won their last away match in Ligue 1 at Nantes a fortnight ago, Le Gym initially suffered. There was a lack of automatisms to start with. With a Louchet - Bombito - Rosario - Nandjou rearguard, the Rouge et Noir looked tentative and struggled to find their bearings. Steve Ngoura came close to opening the scoring from the right-hand side of the box, only to miss the target by the narrowest of margins (2').

But the biggest chance for the Normandy side came a few moments later. Having produced several combinations to cause the Côte d'Azur defence problems, Les Havrais thought they had scored when a corner was fumbled in the area and Yoann Salmier's right-footed effort was headed off the line by a heroic Tom Louchet (11').

Shaken by this poor start, the Rouge et Noir reacted. Little by little, the Allianz Riviera outfit got their foot on the ball and set up their passing game. It was Louchet, once again, who created the first chance for Nice, sending a guided missile 35 metres out that struck Arthur Desmas’ crossbar (35'). Badredine Bouanani, often well positioned between the lines, could also have opened the scoring from distance but his curling effort failed to hit the target (44').

LABORDE AND BOUANANI DECISIVE

The Aiglons came out of the changing rooms with a renewed sense of purpose and added their usual aggressive pressing to their technical quality. Putting Le Havre's defence under serious pressure, they managed to put them at fault, winning a penalty after Salmier handled Bouanani's cross (53'). Gaëtan Laborde got hold of the ball. Determined to score his second goal of the season, after the decisive strike in the derby against AS Monaco, ‘Le Conquérant’ did not hesitate to slot a perfect left-footed penalty past Desmas into the side of the net (1-0, 55').

It was a liberation for the Rouge et Noir and set Le Gym on the way to a lively finish. Although Guessand failed to beat Desmas from close range (66'), Bouanani wasted no time in doing so moments later. The Algerian international was perfectly played in by Laborde, who had won an aerial duel with Gautier Lloris, and he fired a low cross-shot into the net (2-0, 75'). The Fennec, who scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a red-and-black shirt and his second after the one he scored against Rangers, gave his team-mates breathing space, and Laborde came close to scoring the third (90').

Even though Didier Digard's men, back on the Côte d'Azur for the first time since his departure in the summer, reduced the deficit through another former Aiglon in the shape of Gautier Lloris, who headed home from a corner in injury time (2-1, 90'+2), nothing could stop the courageous Aiglons from winning. Provisionally in 5th place, Les Niçois can now turn their attention to another important fixture: a trip to Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday (6:45pm).

Hugo Rondet