OGC Nice strengthened their grip on second place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats with Kasper Dolberg and Khéphren Thuram helping them to a 2-1 win over FC Nantes at the Allianz Riviera.
OGC Nice 2-1 FC Nantes
THE MATCH
Nice began the day in second, Paris Saint-Germain's closest pursuers boasting a seven-point and place cushion over their visitors, and they dominated first-half possession. Nantes always looked capable of hitting them on the counter. However, and it was les Canaris who carved out the best chance early on, Sébastien Corchia fizzing a free-kick narrowly wide (5') before a slaloming Randal Kolo Muani run eventually found a stubborn Walter Benitez in the way (15'). Nice still managed to break the deadlock, Abdoulaye Sylla's handball leaving referee Ruddy Buquet with little choice but to point to the spot and Dolberg stepping up to convert his sixth goal of the campaign (21'). It was Nantes who had the last say of the opening 45 minutes, though. Andrei Girotto pushed Corchia aside from another set piece, in a complete role reversal from Nante's first chance, and drilled home an unstoppable low shot for 1-1 (44').
Terrific Thuram
The second half was just 10 minutes old when Nice pulled back in front. Thuram went on a driving run from midfield before playing a smart one-two with Amine Gouiri on the edge of the box and finishing low beyond Alban Lafont (55'). Kolo Muani tried to get Nantes going at the other end soon after, stinging Benitez's gloves with a rasping cross (60'). The visitors had the better of the final half hour, poking and probing without really testing Benitez in the home goal. Jean-Kévin Augustin was Antoine Kombouaré's final roll of the dice, the PSG youth academy graduate replacing Osman Bukari for the closing minutes (80'), but Nice looked the more likely to add to the scoresheet, Justin Kluivert's shot deflected clear (85') before it ended 2-1.
THE PLAYER: Khéphren Thuram
Thuram has had to compete for the right to line up in central midfield under Christophe Galtier this season, with Pablo Rosario and Mario Lemina invariably getting the nod in the coach's preferred 4-4-2 formation. With Lemina on Africa Cup of Nations duty Thuram was given the nod here, though, and seized his chance with a fine second goal of the season.
THE STAT: 4
Nice have now won their last four games against Nantes in all competitions since Moses Simon gave les Canaris a 1-0 win at the Stade de la Beaujoire in October 2019.