Nice come from behind to beat Lyon and show they mean business
n a day of big matches across Europe, the encounters generally failed to live up to their billing. Manchester United v Liverpool was a one-sided affair; the clásico only stirred into life occasionally; and the marquee games in Serie A – Napoli 0-0 Roma and Inter 1-1 Juventus – were disappointing.
The big match in Ligue 1 on Sunday – PSG’s trip to Marseille – fared little better, ending in a goalless draw. The early stages offered some entertainment, with a goal at either end being chalked off for offside, but Jorge Sampaoli adopted a defensive approach to cope with PSG’s fantastic four and his team were unable to capitalise when Achraf Hakimi was sent off with half an hour to play. However, there was plenty of excitement in another Ligue 1 match earlier in the day – Nice v Lyon – a game that did not feature on any of the lists of great fixtures to watch on Sunday.
Nice have been tipped by many, including ourselves, as the side best placed to challenge PSG for the title this season. But they looked unimaginative in a dour 1-0 loss to newly promoted Troyes last weekend, having also been beaten by 10-man Lorient last month. They have had some injury issues (Youcef Atal, Kasper Dolberg) but genuine title contenders do not lose these games. Despite considerable investment this summer, Nice’s record was beginning to look rather middling, leading some to think that Marseille, Monaco, or Lens might be better positioned to challenge PSG.
Their match against Lyon, which was played early on Sunday despite Lyon’s trip to Sparta Prague on Thursday, was an energetic affair. Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was called into action early and often. The visitors also had a few early chances of their own, despite their lack of a recognised central striker. They have grown into the season under Peter Bosz and opened the scoring through the in-form Karl Toko-Ekambi. Houssem Aouar dragged a presentable chance wide at the start of the second half before eventually doubling Lyon’s lead in the 68th minute.
Nice had been presented with a what seemed like a real opportunity to build their confidence against a Lyon side who were coming off a draining European encounter and were missing their two first-choice strikers, Moussa Dembélé and Islam Slimani. But they were letting it slip. The visitors were 2-0 up and firmly on top, with Toko Ekambi tormenting makeshift right-back Flavius Daniliuc.
Galtier replaced Daniliuc with Youcef Atal with 20 minutes to play and his substitution changed the match. Two seasons ago under Patrick Vieira, Atal had been a revelation, excelling as a wing-back, inverted winger and right-back, brimming with energy and even finishing as the team’s joint-top scorer. He was linked with Spurs and looked likely to go on to bigger things. However, injuries limited him to just 13 starts last season and he fell off the radar to some degree, with niggles and suspension also limiting his time on the pitch this campaign. When Atal’s number was called, Galtier seemed to be doing little more than rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Atal had less than half an hour to make an impression but he did just that. He made all the difference, not only negating Toko Ekambi’s effect on the match going forward, but jinking past him and a slow-footed Jérôme Boateng to score with an unstoppable strike 10 minutes from time. It looked to be a consolation, though, as Lyon were quickly back up the other end to test Walter BenÃtez.
Rocked by the goal, though, Lyon wobbled, first with a red card for Tino Kadewere, and then in conceding a penalty. Emerson brought down Atal in the box and Andy Delort tucked home an equaliser just before stoppage time. Academy product Evann Guessand scored the winner two minutes later, and Nice had gone from ninth to third, with a game in hand – the replay of their aborted game against Marseille on Wednesday.
It wasn’t pretty but Galtier’s players got the job done, despite little to nothing from Amine Gouiri or Dolberg. Although a few missteps have likely cost them a genuine chance at being title contenders, this team is coming into its own. These bumps are inevitable for a team with so many new arrivals, particularly players new to the French game such as Calvin Stengs, Pablo Rosario, Justin Kluivert. Faced with a big test, Nice responded with gusto, even if the match’s opening stages had been hard to digest for the manager.
The Lille team that won the title last season under Galtier were not immediately brilliant as soon as Burak Yilmaz and Jonathan David arrived. They had their own wobbles at the start of the campaign. Their attack stuttered before David found form and Galtier needed some time to work on their tactics and get the best out of his team. This Nice side already seems further along in the process and, even if a title challenge remains unlikely, this win and their recent form shows how good a manager Galtier is.
Marseille did not show off their newfound attacking verve against PSG, but their clean sheet was more than its own reward. They have conceded just eight goals in 13 matches in all competitions this season. Jorge Sampaoli is feted for his kamikaze attack but Marseille’s success will rest on their solidity, which appears to be improving all the time.
Lens, who still sit second, shook off an ugly loss to 10-man Montpellier last weekend to deliver the sort of performance one would expect from a side with genuine European aspirations, beating Metz 4-1. An unlikely double from Wesley Saïd, who had been the hero against Marseille last month, made the difference for Lens. A win for Franck Haise’s side against Lyon next weekend would lay down a serious marker before a relatively comfortable November for the northern side, giving them the opportunity to burnish their Champions League credentials.
Nantes won again at the weekend, beating Clermont 2-1 in a match that finished with both sides down to 10 men. Now seventh, Nantes have improved their attack dramatically this season. Their 16 goals so far represent their best return after 11 matches in 20 years and, with Ludovic Blas scoring his sixth of the season, they seem to have found the focal point in attack that they have been lacking since the departure of the late Emiliano Sala. Things can change quickly in a tightly packed table, but even if Nantes don’t look ready to joust for a place in Europe, they should not only survive, but perhaps even do it with a modicum of style, no small matter for a fanbase who have struggled over the last two decades to reconcile the current iteration of their team with the brilliance of their glory years.