Vincent Koziello stayed busy over the international break, distinguishing himself with France's U21 side by scoring the first goal of the break, against the Côte d'Ivoire. Upon his return  to Nice in the middle of the week, Koziello got back to training with the squad - with this weekend's clash against Saint-Etienne in his sights.

Vincent, how did the international break go?

I had a blast! I spent the week with the France U21 side and I played all of both matches (against the Côte d'Ivoire and England). I'm happy and proud to have had the chance to play for my national team. They were certainly my last two matches with that side (as players like Koziello, born in 1995, will soon be ineligible to play with the U21s), so I made sure to really enjoy myself. It's always nice to come back to your club after a week like that.

How do you feel about returning to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard?

Of course it will be special for me. My last match there remains one of the best nights of my career so far. I scored my first Ligue 1 goal in a great stadium with a great atmosphere. I think it was that match that made French football sit up and start taking our Nice side seriously. It was a Sunday night and the match was being shown on Canal+. We played great football. It was the kind of evening that every footballer dreams of playing on…

The team is coming off consecutive defeats (against Salzburg in the Europa League and against Caen in Ligue 1)… how is morale in the squad as you head back into competition?

The loss to Caen didn't destabilise us as much as all that. We really wanted to stretch our unbeaten record in the league out as long as possible, but unfortunately it ended before the break. Now we need to turn the page and start a new run - which means getting our heads down and working hard.

---