With other clubs waiting to trip Nice up after seeing them foolishly drop two points against Bastia on Sunday, the Aiglons responded in the best possible way - by handing Guingamp a first home defeat of the season.

The Rouge et Noir are still there at the top of the Ligue 1 table after 15 rounds! After a derby draw against Bastia that tasted more like a defeat, Le Gym wasted no time in getting right back on track. After their defeat in Caen, the Aiglons had to wait two weeks to get back into action but, thanks to their packed schedule at the end of 2016, they had barely 72 hours to dwell on an unfavourable result, with an impending clash on the Côte d'Armor that looked - and turned out to be - a tough battle.

As was the case against Bastia, the Aiglons, with just one change in their line-up (Koziello in for Walter), quickly took control of the match. As early as the fifth minute, a peach of a shot from Younes Belhanda left Johnsson no chance and sent Le Gym out in front. It was a carbon copy of the goal that Alassane Plea scored - at the same end of the very same pitch in May - to clinch a win that sent Nice into fourth place.

Dante, the control tower

While, as was the case against the Corsicans, the Niçois could have pulled clear and scored another goal to kill off the match (a header from Dante onto the bar 14', an unsuccessful one-on-one from Plea 16'), this time they didn't lose concentration and let their opponents back into it. In the first half, Yoan Cardinale distinguished himself with two superb diving saves (15', 45') to deny dangerous shots from Didot and Salibur.

There is no question that Nice suffered in the latter stages of the match, but that is to be expected when faced with the league's fifth-placed side, who until the final whistle had been undefeated on their superb pitch this season. In desperation as their passing game failed to make the break, Guingamp switched to a long-ball game in the final stages. But the Bretons repeatedly smashed into the tough defensive bloc that Nice, remarkably organised around captain Dante - who turned a high-class performance - and the implacably calm Cardinale, who was impeccable on his line and sure-handed with every ball that came his way in a stressful second half.

With 36 points from 15 matches, the Aiglons are deserved Ligue 1 leaders ahead of Toulouse's visit to the Allianz Riviera on Sunday.

A.D.

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