Ligue 1 McDonald's 37e journée

2 : 3

Savanier (7')

Savanier (17')

Barkley (53')

Laborde (67')

Laborde (79')

Match report

Le Gym topple Montpellier (2-3)!

After going 2-0 down to Montpellier in their Ligue 1 Round 37 clash, Le Gym came from behind to win 2-3 at the Stade de la Mosson - thanks to a second-half goal from Barkley and a brace from Laborde.

After falling behind in the first half - and with pride on the line - Les Aiglons could not afford to sit back. And they did react in the second half - with a bang! With power! And with guts and heart. While there wasn't much to take away from the first half - apart from Savanier's brace (7', 17'), which had Le Gym chasing the score, and Schmeichel's saves, which prevented them from sinking - the second half put a smile on the Nice fans' faces.

At half-time, Didier Digard introduced Atal in place of the injured Bard and switched Lotomba to the left of a 4-3-3, which saw Diop and Barkley start at right-back and Brahimi on the left of attack. Following the Algerian full-back's introduction, Le Gym went on the attack and reduced the deficit in the 53rd minute, following a move in which Brahimi was directly involved. That move changed everything - the face of the match and the mood of the troops. It began with a challenge won by Todibo on the Nice goal line, and accelerated with a long pass from Atal down the right flank to Laborde. The latter cut inside and fed Barkley, who coolly slotted the ball past Lecomte for his third career goal against MHSC (and fourth with Le Gym). 

From then on, everything changed. Every touch turned the tide for the Aiglons. Their well co-ordinated pressing suffocated the home side, while their positive aggression and technical proficiency grew. As a result, they dominated and pushed MHSC to the limit. Kouyaté almost equalised with an own-goal (60') before the dam broke. 

Didier Digard turned a hard blow into a tactical one when Atal, who had been excellent, was injured shortly after the hour-mark (66'). The Nice coach replaced him with Rosario, changed his system to a 3-5-2 and brought Laborde closer to Moffi up front. The effect was immediate, as Gaëtan, again and again, rose higher than 1m93 defender Kouyaté and his 1m92 partner Esteve to smash the ball into the back of net after Barkley's shot had been parried by Lecomte (2-2, 67').

Then Laborde - that man again! - raced onto a perfect pass from Moffi to complete his brace. Clean through on goal, he feinted the shot, rounded the home 'keeper and then finished into the empty net (2-3, 79'). These were his 14th and 15th goals for Le Gym (his 16th and 17th of the season), but he celebrated with humility against his former club - as he handed his side the victory. 

Nice almost went further ahead, but Lecomte pulled off a spectacular triple save to deny Moffi, Lotomba and Laborde - before Tchato saved Beka Beka's shot off the line (90+3'). 

In the end, Nice held firm. They now look ahead to hosting Lyon, who beat Reims (3-0), next Saturday when the season draws to a close (kick-off 21:00).


Video highlights

Highlights : Montpellier 2-3 Nice
0/28

OGC Nice TV

The Highlights

Match sheet

Ligue 1 McDonald's • 37e journée
May 27 2023 21:00

In Montpellier

Stade de la Mosson

Stade de la Mosson - Montpellier
  • Lecomte
  • Kouyaté
  • Sacko
  • Estève
  • Sainte-Luce
    Remplacement
  • Khazri
    Remplacement
  • Nordin
  • Ferri
    Remplacement
  • Savanier
    But
  • Chotard
  • Mavididi
    Remplacement
  • Schmeichel
  • Lotomba
  • Bard
    Remplacement
  • Todibo
  • Dante
    Carton jaune
  • Diop
    Remplacement
  • Boudaoui
    Carton jaune
  • Barkley
    Remplacement But
  • Brahimi
    Remplacement
  • Moffi
  • Laborde
    But

Coach
Michel Der Zakarian

Substitutions

  • 46'

    Wahi

    Khazri

  • 56'

    Maouassa

    Mavididi

  • 61'

    Tchato

    Sainte-Luce

  • 72'

    Leroy

    Ferri

Unused Substitutes

Germain Jullien Kamara Sylla Sakho

Coach
Didier Digard

Substitutions

  • 46'

    Atal

    Bard

  • 66'

    Rosario

    Atal

  • 76'

    Bouanani

    Diop

  • 85'

    Beka Beka

    Barkley

  • 85'

    Amraoui

    Brahimi

Unused Substitutes

Bułka Boulhendi Mendy Belahyane

Referee

Benoît
Millot

Benoît Millot

Bookings

Yellow cards

Red cards

Bookings

Yellow cards

Boudaoui (63')

Red cards

Logo Montpellier Hérault

Stats

Logo OGC Nice

Ball Control

47%
53%

Shots

14
23

Shots on target

8
15

Completed passes

328
368

Offsides

1
1

Fouls committed

12
16

Yellow cards

0
3

Red cards

0
0