Ligue 1, Round 9, 21/10/23
Evann Guessand got a late winner against Olympique de Marseille to take OGC Nice top of Ligue (1-0). Leonardo Balerdi’s red card proved the turning point in what was a defensive and timid affair at the Allianz Riviera.
Defences were on top in a tepid first half, starved of any clear-cut opportunities. Ismaïla Sarr had the ball in the back of the net in the 25th minute, but his strike was rightly ruled out for offside. Nice had kept clean sheets in their last three matches at the Allianz Riviera, and based on the first half, they looked like making it four in a row.
Whilst there wasn’t a glut of chances in the second half, the game did open up. Amine Harit went close with a header that was well saved by Marcin Bulka. The Polish goalkeeper couldn’t do anything about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s dink in the second half, but luckily for Bulka, the post came to the rescue.
The turning point came in the 78th minute. Leonardo Balerdi had already been given a yellow card for dissent and he then gave away a foul on the edge of his own box, earning a second yellow and a red. Jérémie Boga stepped up to take the free-kick and found the head of Evann Guessand, who made no mistake with the finish.
Iliman Ndiaye had a golden chance to salvage a point late on, but Nice held on to take the three points, which at least temporarily lifts them to the top of the Ligue 1 standings.
Nice player ratings
Marcin Bulka – 6
Melvin Bard – 6
Dante – 6
Jean-Clair Todibo – 7
Jordan Lotomba – 5
Hicham Boudaoui – 4
Youssouf Ndayishimiye – 5
Morgan Sanson – 5
Jérémie Boga – 5
Terem Moffi – 4 – The Nigerian striker hasn’t scored since he netted a brace against PSG. He was a peripheral figure in this game, and couldn’t bring others around him into play. He was then replaced by Evann Guessand, who had an almost immediate impact.
Gaëtan Laborde – 5
Marseille player ratings
Pau Lopez – 5
Ronan Lodi – 5
Leonardo Balerdi – 4 – The Argentinian had looked solid in the first half and was a reassuring figure in Marseille’s defence. He was quite the opposite in the second half. Balerdi lost his composure, earning a first yellow for dissent and the second for a clumsy challenge on the edge of his box. With Nice scoring from the resulting penalty, it’s fair to say that Balerdi had a significant impact on the result, but not a positive one as far as his team are concerned.
Chancel Mbemba – 6
Jonathan Clauss – 6
Azzedine Ounahi – 5
Amine Harit – 6
Valentin Rongier – 6
Ismaïla Sarr – 4
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 3 – not for the first time this season, Aubameyang failed to influence proceedings, and when called upon to add the finishing touch, failed to do so.
Iliman Ndiaye – 4
