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OGC Nice provided the essentials by winning on the lawn of Sheriff Tiraspol (1-0), Thursday in Chisinau, in the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League Conference. The last French club in the running for a European Cup this season is on favorable waivers before the return match in a week at the Allianz Riviera.
Last French representative in European Cups this season, Nice won in Chisinau, capital of Moldova, against Sheriff Tiraspol (1-0) thanks to a lucky goal from young Ayoub Amraoui, in the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League Conference.
In complicated conditions, the men of Didier Digard, still undefeated as the club’s head coach, take an option for qualification before the return match in a week at the Allianz Riviera.
However, nothing is certain: in the previous round, the Sheriff, symbol of Transnistria, an eastern strip of land, pro-Russian, having seceded from Moldova in the early 1990s, had indeed lost in a barrage to go to Chisinau against Partizan Belgrade (1-0), before qualifying 3-1 in Serbia.
Nice, which, on the return, will be deprived of its suspended captain Dante, has also not shown any real superiority, despite sometimes superior collective play.
The first period was unworthy of a European meeting. Disputed on a poor lawn, it opposed a Nice formation without the intention of taking excessive risks, and a Moldavian formation, whose sole objective was to counter.
In a 3-5-2 with the young Franco-Moroccan Ayoub Amraoui, 18, and Jordan Lotomba as attacking corridor players, Nice did not offer enough movement to destabilize their opponent.
Beginner’s luck
Like the very expensive winter recruit Terem Moffi, who was never found, the Digard team lacked spontaneity. The first strike, countered, came very late (38e). It was the work of Pablo Rosario, the least attacking midfielder…
Fortunately for them, the Aiglons were able to count on success. That of the beginner Amraoui. For his third consecutive pro tenure, the Varois international Moroccan U20 who arrived at 15 in Nice saw his cross turn into a perfect lob on the Ukrainian goalkeeper of the Sheriff, Maxym Koval (0-1, 45e+3).
A single shot on target and a goal just before the break: the Niçois could not have asked for better when returning to the locker room. Especially since, a few moments earlier, Dante had offered a good free kick to his opponents, after a severe foul on Abdoul Tapsoba. But Mouhamed Diop hit the gloves of Kasper Schmeichel (45e).
On the Moldavian side, it was the right side of the Sheriff, Armel Zohouri, ex-Niçois who signed in Transnistria at the start of the season, who sounded the revolt of the Sheriff, who had become dominating. His cross ricocheted off the crossbar of Schmeichel (72e). Previously, the stirring Tapsoba had played the Dante-Todibo duo but had not framed his volley (59e).
Opposite, the only quality Nice collective sequence resulted in a missed shot from Lotomba (67e). And on a corner, Dante touched the post without Rosario being able to double the bet (81e).
The return match promises to be more open than expected by the people of Nice.
With AFP
