Aiglon of the Match: Nice - Toulouse

Hérelle picks up Man of the Match for the second game on the trot

Five days after the derby in Marseille (1-0), Christophe Hérelle has once again been voted Crédit Agricole Aiglon of the Match for the game against Toulouse (1-1).

After starting the first 24 matches for Le Gym in the centre of defence, the former Troyes defender moved out to right back on Friday. “I had already covered at full-back at my former clubs, he explained as he left the pitch. The coach told me about it before the match. I adapt. It was great.”  

In his new role, the 26 year old applied “the instructions of his coach”. And rather successfully, with a pass completion rate of 88%, some excellent forward runs and winning 70% of his battles (the highest rate on the field on Friday night).  

“I almost cried a little” 

I wanted to win and I think you could see that”, explained Hérelle, whose name rang out throughout the stadium on the hour mark. “I tried to keep my focus. It’s really touching because it’s the city I was born in. To see the fans of my club chant my name is something I had never experienced. It really touched me and I almost cried a little (laughs).

Sarr: “He deserves it” 

Equally lauded by the fans within the Allianz Riviera, Malang Sarr delighted in his teammate’s performance: “Christophe  was very good defensively and in attack, making runs and good crosses. I am happy because he deserves it: he works for the team and wants to drive the team forwards. I hope that these kind of performance will allow him to gain even more confidence and to become even better.”  

Behind the number 29, who picked up 33% of the vote, a quarter of supporters voted for Youcef Atal (25%), and almost the same number opted for Wylan Cyprien (24%). After scoring his fourth goal of the season with a superb free-kick, the midfielder almost repeated the feat just three minutes later, but Toulouse were saved by the crossbar.