To launch this Ligue 1 Sunday, which will end with a PSG-Reims at the Parc des Princes, FC Metz (16th, 19 pts) hosted OGC Nice (3rd, 39 pts) as part of the 22nd day. Authors of a great victory last weekend in Reims, the Garnets wanted to continue, they who have just left the red zone and still had to move away from it. Opposite, the Aiglons, on a series of four successes in the league, had to win to regain their second place, now owned by OM after his success in Lens on Saturday. On the Messinian side, Frédéric Antonetti, still deprived of many players, was leading 3-4-3 with Boulaya in the lead. Christophe Galtier started off with a 4-4-2 lineup.
On a catastrophic lawn, the start of the meeting was rather to the advantage of Garnets, more aggressive in the duels and who controlled the leather. But the Aiglons, after a few minutes of “adaptation”, recovered and Gouiri even got the first opportunity, but the former Lyonnais stumbled on Caillard (15th). Well launched with this opportunity, the players of Christophe Galtier then took control of the debates and Dolberg even tried a pigeon wing (17th). Gouiri, again, tried his luck but the Metz goalkeeper was still very vigilant (19th). The Nice circuit worked rather well on the right side but Stengs (31st) and Gouiri (39th) still did not score.
Gouiri on fire
In a complicated first period for them, the Grenats held on until the break, where the score was tied. To get things moving, Frédéric Antonetti then launched Tchimbembé in place of Boulaya (46th). Suddenly, the Garnets offered us a great activity from the start, with some interesting sequences but still no real opportunities. OGC Nice let this little highlight of Metz pass and then put their foot on the ball, and above all open the scoring. On a curled ball from Gouiri, Thuram, completely forgotten by the opposing defense, missed his attempt which turned into a somewhat long control. The 20-year-old, however, tore himself in front of Caillard to score from the left, at close range (58th, 0-1).
Unfortunately behind, the clock was ticking and the Garnets, who sometimes had the ball for long minutes, never endangered the Niçois. And one mistake would be fatal to the locals. Pressed by Guessand, Kana-Biyik lost the leather about thirty meters from his goal. Gouiri then recovered the leather, came to fix Caillard and quietly scored with the right. But after checking the VAR, this goal was disallowed for an offside (76th) … A fact of the game which reboosted the public of Saint-Symphorien who pushed his players, in vain. Worse, the Aiglons doubled the bet on a (generous?) penalty scored by Gouiri (87th, 0-2). In Moselle, OGC Nice won 2-0 and regained second place in the standings. The Garnets, they remained sixteenth while waiting for the other matches of the day.