Le Gym will not give up! Thanks to a remarkable performance at the Parc des Princes, Les Aiglons remain atop the Ligue 1 standings after a thrilling 2-2 draw. Solid.

What does it take to bring a point or points back from the capital? An enormous heart, a lot of talent, a bit of good fortune and whole lot of nerve. Look no further, Le Gym brought all these elements together in this top-of-the-table Week 17 clash. Against a fired-up Paris side in a white-hot Parc des Princes, they hunkered down and proved solid with set pieces while using the ball well when they had it. And they did so with guts and determination, following the example of 'keeper Yoan Cardinale, who made a superb double save in the seventh minute. 

With an amazing dive low to his right, the 'keeper repelled Kurzawa's uber-powerful shot and got back to his feet just in time to turn away Cavani's follow-up… and then comfortably claimed Thiago Silva's header from the resulting corner. A sequence typical of the first 15 minutes that saw Paris starve their Mediterranean opponents of possession. Nice had to weather the storm before the sun could break through the clouds.

The clear skies over the city of light lit up with a thousand flashes as Wylan Cyprien flipped the script on the half-hour mark. With their very first chance, Lucien Favre's youngsters proved armed and dangerous as the number 25's free-kick - for a foul on Ricardo - lodged in the back of Areola's net with the Paris 'keeper rooted to the spot. 

The Nice contingent exploded in delight, but Le Gym didn't rest on their laurels after opening the scoring. Compact, Nice's XI, lined up in a 3-5-2 with Arnaud Souquet in the centre of defence alongside Dante and Malang Sarr, went on their merry way. Their progress was, however, peppered with ambushes from a Paris side determined to get forward and bridge the gap, but a clinical Alassane Plea foiled their plans. Latching into a long pass from Dalbert and making the most of a defensive misunderstanding between Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, Le Gym's 2016-2017 top scorer doubled the lead with a cool left-footed shot just before the break.

Un mental de pirate

Nice had made the break, sending a chill through the Parc des Princes faithful and sending the 700 travelling Nice fans into raptures. Les Aiglons stuck to their principles without getting wobbly and without getting carried away. But play started to get away from them and they had to give their all to stay solid and continue to hold Paris in check. And then they cracked at the very beginning of the second half, when Serge Aurier - a constant threat, as was Layvin Kurzawa - crossed perfectly for Edinson Cavani. After fluffing his lines with his only scoring chance in the first half, the Uruguayan made no mistake this time around, finishing crisply to reduce the deficit. It would be a long second half…

Wylan Cyprien looked to restore a bit of breathing room but couldn't keep his effort down in the 57th minute. Still, it showed that Le Gym weren't going to play the role of victim but rather fiercely look to defend and extend their advantage. But things got tougher once again just after the hour-mark, when Edinson Cavani levelled matters. It was a tough break for Nice, Cardi having managed to parry Kurzawa's cross but only into the path of Dante. El Matador had only to tap the ball across the line.

The intensity dropped somewhat after the equaliser, but Paris continued to see the lion's share of possession. They dominated territorially, making good use of wide areas - where Lucas operated after being subbed on in the second half, with Matuidi moving into the middle of the park. But Nice refused to give up, even though they looked shaky when Cavani put the ball in the back of the net for a third time only to have it ruled out for off-side and on another few occasions towards the end. But Nice also kept looking to get forward with their typical self-assurance, playing out of defence despite everything.

Nice's strength has been looking to their creativity and their philosophy to challenge their opponents. And on Sunday night it paid off. Balotelli's entry into play - replacing Plea - spoke eloquently of the team spirit that thrives among Lucien Favre's troops. Troops galvanised by the tenacious, combative and exemplary Younès Belhanda.

The score wouldn't change again - despite a late scare - and thus Le Gym maintained their four-point lead over the men from the capital and cruised back into top spot on the Ligue 1 table.  

Like a boss...

C.D.

 

---