After a balanced game and after a second half that they dominated overall, OGC Nice left Auxerre with a draw (1-1). Andy Delort, who scored after 20 minutes and suffered a knee injury, left his team-mates in the first half.

Three days after the European defeat against Slovácko (1-2), a reaction from the Aiglons was expected. They answered the call, offering a solid and cohesive performance, but did not manage to get the 3 points against the recently promoted team from Burgundy. Objectively, the match was balanced, each team having its strong moments, but Nice finished the game with more drive, dominating territorially. This leaves some regrets on the balance of things...

Without Dante, Atal, Boudaoui, and Diop, Lucien Favre lined up a 3-5-2, with Rosario at the heart of the defence, Lemina as the anchor, Barkley and Thuram pushing higher up the pitch, and the Laborde-Delort duo up front. This set-up gave the number eights some freedom, and even a playmaking role at times. Khephren Thuram took advantage of this early in the game. The U-21 international went on a wonderful run after 20 minutes, taking on 4 Auxerre players, two of them after a lovely one-two, then sent a pass to Andy Delort, who scored his 6th goal of the season with ease. The goalscorer then made way for Nicolas Pepe in the 39th minute after a bad landing following an aerial duel.

Playful and attacking, the Bourguignons took the initiative after this opening goal. They controlled the end of the first half, without creating any real danger, until the 42nd minute, when Nuno Da Costa, at the near post, equalised with a header (1-1) from a corner.

2 CRAZY MINUTES

The Azureens returned to the pitch with good intentions and very soon Lucien Favre injected some fresh blood. Aaron Ramsey took Khephren Thuram's place shortly after the hour mark. Nice pressed hard and Lotomba presented Pepe with a free kick from 20 metres out, but the Ivorian international failed to beat Costil (65'). Alexis Beka Beka also came on (83'), as did Antoine Mendy, who celebrated his first minutes in L1 with an efficient and determined outing. The Red and Blacks pushed for victory, leaving spaces in behind which the hosts almost took advantage of. And in a breathless end to the match, everything almost changed in two minutes.

Following a wonderful pass from Pepe, Barkley took a near-perfect one-touch left-footed shot, but the ball just missed Costil's goal (86'). Niang then latched on to a long ball and with a sudden half-volley hit Schmeichel's post (88'). Despite applying more pressure at the end of the match, the Gym did not manage to take the lead.

In the end, the Aiglons left Abbé-Deschamps with a point, which was well deserved taking the game as a whole.

The squad now has a full week of work ahead, before hosting FC Nantes next Sunday (M12, kick-off 5:05pm CET).