Nice-Lorient: Sanson as a maestro, Bamba catastrophic... The tops and the flops

TOPS

He did not deliver an XXL performance, but he knew how to be fair in everything he did this Friday, during the victory of “his” OGC Nice against FC Lorient (3-0). Hindered in the midfield at the very start of the game by the Merlus' good ball releases, he quickly rectified the situation with his friend Kephren Thuram. He gained momentum in the match to give the Niçois the advantage shortly before the half-hour mark. On the opening score, he showed his character to win against the Lorient defenders and shot Mvogo , who had performed well so far. He missed the opportunity to double the lead (41st) before half-time, but he was behind the second goal scored by Jérémie Boga (54th).

Nice was coming off a bad run at home. No victory since January 27 (1-0 against Metz), but above all two defeats against retention candidates, Montpellier (1-2) and Nantes (1-2). Faced with FC Lorient also stuck at the bottom of the standings, the Tuscan chose to launch a rather offensive team and it succeeded. His team suffered almost no chances, but above all mastered its subject. The wings with Ali-Cho and Boga were active, visible, but above all decisive. The first is involved in the second's goal for the Nice break. Both could have even scored earlier. Boga crossed too much with a shot (16th), while Ali-Cho did too much after being well launched by Bard (35th). The composition was not only offensive on paper, but also on the field. The Niçois spent most of the match in the Lorient camp.

FLOPS

His exit in tears (62nd, see video below) was the symbol of his match. He completely missed his appointment. Mute since the beginning of March, Mohamed Bamba lacks confidence and the pitch does not deceive. The Ivorian U23 international striker was nevertheless well launched on the left side, from the 3rd minute, but he chose the personal solution. Result: a much too soft shot which set the tone of the Merlus match. The rest of the time, when he did not miss opportunities, he was far too aggressive on his opponents, notably on Rosario (8th) or even on Lotomba (50th). Replaced by Kroupi (62nd). The young man from Lorient was fairer, but not more decisive.

Speaking to Prime Video after the match, he said “that he could have changed by tightening the lines after Sanson’s goal”. But his approach was defensive enough as it was. Apart from two or three counterattacks, the Lorientais did not see the light of day offensively and spent their time remaining in their camp, without managing to annihilate the offensive enthusiasm of the Aiglons. He did not instill the desire to come back to score in his players and it showed on the pitch and his players were not up to par defensively. Fifteen days of preparation to deliver this kind of performance, it becomes difficult not to be worried about Merlus being relegated to Ligue 2.