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Man of the match: Romain Hamouma (6.5): Even if he was not directly involved in Abi’s goal, he was one of the most threatening on the side of Saint-Etienne, by his combinations with Bouanga and Debuchy but also thanks to his incessant activity which makes that almost all actions go through him. He was the most consistent player in this game.
Nice (3-4-3):
Benitez (5): What could he do in this meeting? He was beaten on the Greens’ only shot on target, which came after a failed attempt by Trauco. He cannot intervene which will give him a lot of regrets.
Bambu (3): He is twice at fault on goal, since he loses the ball when there was no apparent danger and he leaves Abi in play within six meters in stride. He punctuates in this way a match in which he had been in great difficulty anyway. Replaced by Dan Ndoye (90 ‘).
Saliba (5.5): Facing his former teammates, he was omnipresent for almost all of the meeting. He can not do anything on goal either because he is surprised by the trajectory of Trauco’s strike which turns into an assist.
Daniliuc (6): He was well in the game and made good defensive interventions. He has only very rarely been caught behind his back, except for Bouanga’s plunging head. For the rest, he was concentrated and diligent.
Kamara (4.5): Certainly the best Nice of the first half, he provided a lot of effort which did not however lead to great opportunities. Less prominent then, it was essentially confined to defensive tasks.
Boudaoui (4): He showed himself in difficulty in the middle of the field, and he even came close to the red card for an accumulation of faults. He was quickly blunt physically and did not go the distance throughout the meeting.
Lees-Melou (4): The Nice captain was transparent today. He had no influence on the (non-existent) game of his team and was not effective in the counter pressing either.
Lotomba (4): He went through this match like a ghost, despite his efforts to stand out he was rarely served in good conditions. Defensively, he struggled to contain the liveliness of the Hamouma – Bouanga doublet.
Queen Adelaide (4): The former Arsenal player had a chance in the first half but did not target. For the rest, it was sluggish. He didn’t really weigh in the balance. Replaced by Alexis Claude-Maurice (62 ‘), author of a well-placed free kick slammed for a corner by Moulin.
Gouiri (4.5): Interesting trips, a clear opportunity in the first half. He had a lot more trouble in the second half. Replaced by Myziane Maolida (72 ‘), which did not add much to the gloomy game offered by the Aiglons.
Dolberg (5): He at least will have tried to put the rhythm by picking up to touch the balls and he suffered a lot of faults (4, match record). Unfortunately for him and his team, he once again failed to secure a chance and was not paid for his efforts.
Saint-Etienne (4-4-2):
Mill (5): Two free-kick interventions, from Dolberg and Claude-Maurice, and that’s it. Saint-Etienne largely dominated the debates and it was hardly requested.
Trauco (6): A convincing performance, even if it has been used very little. He stepped forward in the offensive phase and was rewarded with an assist for Abi in the dying minutes.
Sow (6): Guilty of a terrible error in the first leg, he made up for it by showing himself solid today, especially in front of a Dolberg who suffered a lot of faults.
Moukoudi (6): His main achievement was his superb comeback in front of Gouiri who was on target in the second half. He was also to his advantage in the aerial game on the set pieces and he narrowly missed out on Benitez on one of them.
Debuchy (6.5): The Stéphanois captain had a very good quality match, ultra offensive in the first act. Then, he had to work on the rare duels to negotiate with Gouiri and in the end spent a relatively quiet afternoon in this sector of the game.
Aouchiche (5.5): Very little success in the game, he distinguished himself above all for his precision on set pieces, in particular the corners which brought danger in front of the Nice cage. Replaced by Kévin Monnet-Paquet (81 ‘).
Neyou (6): Always precious with the ball at the foot, he easily got out of the Nice marking which gradually ceased his pressing. He was present offensively without creating any opportunities. Replaced by Lucas Gourna-Douath (72 ‘), who receives a yellow card just after entering.
Camara (5.5): He also evolved rather low on the ground, but like Neyou he was hardly worried by the Nice offensives, which meant that he was able to calmly project himself forward.
Nordin (5.5): He was not stingy with efforts, unfortunately for him he was not very successful in his choices, even if we felt the automatisms in his combinations with Hamouma and Debuchy, mainly in the first act. Replaced by Charles Abi (81 ‘), who scored the winning goal a few minutes after coming into play.
Hamouma (6.5): See above.
Bouanga (6): He got countless chances, but each time the frame gave way. He never gave up and in the end, his team ended up being rewarded. He could have been the hero of the Greens long before.