They were not having a great day. The Nîmes were logically inclined 0-2 at the Costières stadium against AS Saint-Étienne. The Crocodiles do not take advantage of the defeat of Nantes and remain barragists seven days from the end of the championship.
Pascal Plancques and the Nîmes certainly had an eye on the matches which started at 3 p.m., because it concerned their rivals for the maintenance. If Lorient’s 1-0 victory against Brest does not do the Gardner’s business, Nantes’s home defeat against Nice 1-2 ensures the Crocodiles are at their worst play-offs at the end of this 31ste day. It’s a relief but also a great opportunity, if they win, to push the Canaries back to four points and come back one length of ASSE.
The Nîmes coach has chosen to make just one change in the starting XI compared to the team that created the feat of winning Lille 2-1 on the previous day. Lamine Fomba, suspended and replaced by Lucas Deux, who had not started since February 14 and the 2-0 victory in Dijon. On the Stéphanois side, Claude Puel decides to start a 20-year-old goalkeeper, Étienne Green with the predestined name.
A not very exciting start from Nîmes
But at the start of the meeting, the duel between these two poorly classified is really boring. Between the stoppage of play due to an injury to Bouanga, on a tackle by Deaux (1e) and that following the injury of Reynet on an exit outside his area (5e), the match is having a hard time finding rhythm. It is first of all Saint-Étienne who offers play with a first attempt by Aouchiche without power or danger for Reynet (10e). In the process, the same Aouchiche takes a free kick which, in a forest of players, is taken back but again Reynet is not really worried (12e).
Open scoring contested
Not on his plate, the NO does not have much to offer and the Greens end up taking advantage of it. On a Stéphane offensive, Aouchiche gave in the axis to Khazri who with a superb strike found the right corner of Reynet (0-1, 23e). An opening scoring which gave rise to disputes from the Nîmes considering that the striker was in an offside position at the start of the action and that he had hampered the defense of the NO. It is not the opinion of Mr. Leonard who grants the goal.
Unrecognizable compared to the victory in Lille, Nîmes is not yet released. The end of the first period finally rings the alarm clock in Nîmes. On a good Ueda ball for Ferhat, the Algerian back-to-goal resisted the Saint-Etienne defender and his cross shot was blocked by Green’s left post. Koné, who had followed well, pushes the ball into the back of the Loire net, but he is signaled in an offside position (38e). The Gard revolt is on the verge of being nipped in the bud (Easter) when the Greens set off in a four-on-two counterattack. Claude Puel’s players spoil this great opportunity (41e), aborted it is true by a beautiful parade of Reynet.
Saint-Étienne makes the break, Ripart misses a penalty
Halftime provides no solution for the Crocodiles who come back even more in difficulty than in the first half. The second Saint Etienne goal is not very far, when on a corner, Moukoudi places a header above the crossbar of Reynet (55th). Nîmes Olympique is too much of a spectator in this match and what was to happen happened through Bouanga, who with a tight shot of 25 meters doubled the gap (0-2, 65th). Nîmes KO, will not recover and a few moments later it is Hamouma who deceives Reynet (69th). This time, the Nîmes are saved by the VAR which signals an offside position.
The Nîmes coach successively brings in Benrahou and Duljevic to boost his offensive sector in the last quarter of an hour. This does not have the desired effect and it is even Hamouma who is very close to scoring a new goal (82nd). But the match is not completely finished because on a service of Ferhat, Aribi collapses in the opposing penalty area (83 ‘). To everyone’s surprise, the referee awarded the Nîmes a penalty. Everything can be restarted but Green diverts the penalty from Ripart (84th). Luck has passed for the NO who lost at home to a direct opponent for maintenance. Too bad because there was a great operation to be done in the standings. The Nîmes are barragists in Ligue 1 tonight and to save his head in Ligue 1, it will be necessary to show something else, starting with Brest next week. Height of misfortune, Anthony Briançon, returned in the 73rd minute collapsed at the final whistle. The defender from Nîmes was injured again and limped out. An afternoon to forget.
Norman Garden
31e League day 1. NÎMES OLYMPIQUE – ASSOCIATION SPORTIVE DE SAINT-ETIENNE 0-2
Costières stadium. Half-time: 0-1. Referee: M. Léonard. Meeting disputed behind closed doors. Goals: Khazri (24e) and Bouanga (65th). Warnings in Nîmes: Alakouch (11th), Ripart (37e), Cubas (43e), Duljevic (89th) and Briançon (89th). Warnings in Saint-Etienne: Khazri (45e) and Bouanga (76th).
Nîmes: Reynet – Alakouch (Burner, 59e), Guessoum (Briançon, 73rd), Ueda, Meling – Cubas – Eliasson (Benrahou, 59e), Deaux (Duljevic, 73rd), Ripart (cap), Ferhat – Koné (Aribi, 83rd). Subs not used: Dias, Landre, Paquiez and Miguel. Coach: Pascal Plancque.
ASSE: Green – Debuchy (cap), Moukoudi, Cissé, Trauco – Bouanga (Monnet-Paquet, 83rd), Camara, Neyou (Moueffek, 63rd), Aouchiche – Khazri (Hamouma, 59e), Abi (Youssouf, 59e). Subs not used: Ouennas, Sow, Silva ,,, Nordin and Modeste. Coach: Claude Puel.