At the end of an eventful encounter, OGC Nice secured victory over AJ Auxerre in the Round of 32 of the Coupe de la Ligue, thanks to a goal from Myziane and a brace from Rémi Walter (3-2). The adventure begins.  

Since the start of the season, the Aiglons have never been able to kill a match and have often been made to pay for it. After two goals in 45 minutes and a decent amount of dominance, you could have thought that this competition might change this habit. You would have been wrong, but the important thing (qualification) would eventually be achieved.  

In the first half, from their only two shots on target, Patrick Vieira’s side put themselves in a perfect position in the first of the two national cups. 

Myziane, on the quarter hour mark played Srarfi in deep. The Tunisian, who was full of energy and always available in attack, cut the ball back to the Frenchman who had started the move, who then struck to open his goal scoring record for the Gym (1-0, 13’). A deserved reward for the efforts of the man who made the move from Lyon at the start of the season. 

Then Rémi Walter, with his first goal of the season, seemingly put the game to bed, with a beautiful 25 metre strike. Convinced by what he was going to do, applied in his tackles, and always looking for goal, the number 6 let off a missile with his left boot. Westberg was beaten by the trajectory of the ball, and Walter went to celebrate his second goal for the Gym with knee slide in front of the South (2-0, 41').

That was pretty much the bulk of the action in the first 45 minutes. Without Dante, Balotelli, Cyprien, Atal, Lees-Melou and Le Bihan at kick-off, Nice stuck with a 3-5-2, with Sarr in the middle, Coly on the left, Boscagli on the wing, Walter and Tameze in front of the defence and Srarfi at the tip.

The Gym dropped their guard

The home side dominated possession, but that dropped after the break, a sign of the collective drop in performance. The Auxerre 5-4-1 lacked offensive power in the first half, where Benitez was only tested by a 25 metre strike from Touré, which he was able to catch (23'). Dugimont, after a perfect ball from the lively Youssouf, got the visitors back into a game that had seemed to be over (2-1, 53'), and the Gym were then troubled at the back by the goal. Coly closed Dugimont down well (61'); Srarfi found Westberg in the minutes that followed (62'); then the Tunisian went out to find that killer blow with ten minutes to go, winning a penalty after an excellent piece of skill. The spot-kick was duly converted by Walter, who confirmed a smart brace (3-1, 80'). 

But it was written that nothing was going to be simple: the Azuréens were punished once again after thinking the match was over. Dropping their guard, Philippoteaux reduced the score with a nice left-footed effort just after the Nice goal (3-2, 82'), and the Allianz held its breath. 

But after that, the squad found clarity and then solidity. Ganago was brought down by Marcelin as he was through on goal, which led to the dismissal of the man from Bourguignon (88'), and the squad ended the game cleanly.

The necessary was done.

C.D.

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