Le Gym were ahead at half-time thanks to Moffi, but they conceded two goals in the second half to lose 2-1 to Toulouse in Ligue 1 Round 24. 

Le Gym lost their clash with Toulouse in Round 24 of the Ligue 1 campaign. Ahead at half-time thanks to Moffi's early opener (8'), OGC Nice conceded twice in the second half, Dallinga and Gboho both scoring for Toulouse. With this setback, Francesco Farioli's team slip to fifth, on 40 points, two points off the podium.

Francesco Farioli made two changes to his starting line-up from the draw with Clermont, Terem Moffi returning in attack and Pablo Rosario slotting into defence. Bułka, Todibo, Dante (captain), Lotomba, Boudaoui, Thuram, Bard, Guessand and Boga made up the rest of the Nice line-up.

Moffi opens the scoring early

It didn't take long for Moffi to light the fuse and score his seventh L1 goal of the season. As early as the eighth minute, after a long clearance from Rosario, Guessand accelerated down the right side of the box and his shot was deflected by Nicolaisen and then saved by Restes. Costa then tried to play it out, but the ball rebounded off Moffi's well-placed knee and into the back of the net (0-1, 8').

After this quick opening goal, it was a real game of chess between the two teams.

Toulouse created some good chances in the first half, with TFC captain Sierro's shot going just wide of Marcin Bułka's goal (10'), Dallinga taking a shot (23') and then pulling off an acrobatic overhead effort (28'), Gboho bringing the danger twice (30', 36') and Donnum drawing a perfect save from our Polish keeper (42'). 

But Le Gym weren't just defending - they were also looking dangerous. Evann Guessand had been a menace to the Toulouse rearguard since the start of the game, but looked most dangerous when he cut inside several defenders and broke into the area before unleashing a left-footed shot that Restes found a way to parry (37'). Three minutes later, Bard's free-kick from around 20 metres out was tipped out for a corner by the TFC 'keeper (40'). Les Rouge et Noir thus returned to the dressing room with a one-goal lead after a fine display of attacking football.

Le Gym concede twice

Right from the start of the second half, Les Violets stepped up their efforts to get back into the game by putting pressure on Les Aiglons. Rosario twice kept the danger at bay, thwarting a cross from Sierro (47') and a shot from Spierings (49'). And Marcin Bułka once again pulled off a string of saves. Set up by Sierro, Dallinga fed Gboho, who struck the ball with the flat of his foot from the edge of the area, but the Nice 'keeper was in the path of the ball and pushed it away for a corner (50'). Before the hour-mark, Bułka, solid on his feet, pulled off an impressive reflex save from Spierings' header after a Toulouse corner (59'). More timid offensively than in the first half, Le Gym did manage a solid shot on goal via Jeremie Boga, but Restes managed to palm the effort clear (63'). 

Faced with the home side's onslaught, Le Gym eventually cracked. Dallinga pounced to meet Kamanzi's cross from the right, levelling it up at 1-1 with an out-stretched toe-poke (65'). Moments later, following a low cross from Dallinga, Gboho held the ball up in the box before shooting on the turn - right into Bułka's top right-hand corner (2-1, 69'). Les Aiglons were now behind to a spirited Toulouse side looking dominant in front of their home crowd. 
 

In the final quarter of an hour, Farioli replaced Boga, Lotomba and Boudaoui with Cho, Louchet and Claude-Maurice, and Les Aiglons tried to respond and get back on level terms. On the left side of the box, Thuram crossed for Laborde, who tackled the ball but Restes saved - even though it took two bites (81'). Five minutes later, Cho was agonisingly short of meeting Guessand's dangerous cross from the left (86'). At the very end of the match, the Toulouse goalkeeper denied Claude-Maurice an equaliser from a powerful effort (90'). Despite their best efforts in the dying moments, Nice could not avoid defeat.

Nice - Montpellier this Friday

Francesco Farioli and his men take on Montpellier at the Allianz Riviera on Friday 8 March for their Ligue 1 Round 25 clash. The match kicks off at 21:00.