The time of regrets. With Gaëtan Laborde’s goal in the 9th minute of play, OGC Nice believed for a long time to hold its ticket for the semi-finals of the Europa League Conference this Thursday, at the Allianz Riviera. In the first leg, the two teams separated on a parity score (2-2). Except that the Swiss, long harmless, equalized in the 86th minute through the intermediary of… Frenchman Jean-Kevin Augustin, passed by PSG and Nantes. Extension ! In the end, it was the Ghanaian Kasim Nuhu who made the difference for the visitors, winners and qualifiers (1-2). They are the ones who will challenge Fiorentina on May 11 and 18 for a place in the final. West Ham will challenge Alkmaar in the other half.
However, the Aiglons were not taken by the atmosphere which reigned around this match. And they marked their entry territory. After a possession of almost five minutes and already four corners obtained, Gaëtan Laborde first missed the target on a shot outside the area (5th). A minute later, Moffi, launched deep, served Boudaoui who, in first intention, struck and then scored. But the referee of the meeting logically canceled the goal for an offside position beforehand.
It was only a postponement since Laborde, once again, found the fault (9th). After good pressing from Moffi, Thuram picked up the leather and served Ramsey. The Welshman found Laborde, unmarked, who returned to his left foot. The Côte d’Azur center-forward again distinguished himself ten minutes later and, as comfortable with the left foot as with the right foot, shaved the post of the Swiss goalkeeper. Amdouli for Basel tried to sound the revolt (27th) but his shot was too crossed to deceive Schmeichel.
The Nice pressing started to scramble the little play offered by the Swiss in the second half. But the pace began to drop before racing on the hour mark. In the box, Moffi collapsed after Pelmard stepped on his foot. Serdar Gozubuyuk, the referee of the meeting, however, did not mean anything. A few minutes later, Laborde tried to imitate his friend in the attack, scorer in the first leg, with a magnificent scissor. But his shot missed. Except that at the end of the match, the Niçois, despite good retention of the ball, cracked and conceded a goal from the former PSG and Nantes Jean-Kévin Augustin (86th). Reinvigorated, the Swiss almost doubled the lead twice before the end of regulation time (89th, 90th).
Pushed into extra time, Nice finally conceded a new goal, the work of Kasim Nuhu, a crossed header (98th) after a magnificent cross from Males. Cooled down, Dante’s teammates no longer saw the ball and above all no longer found the solution. Cruel, but not undeserved for a Nice team which lost the thread when qualification was reaching out to them, facing an opponent within their reach… Bearers of the last hopes of French football in this 2022-23 campaign, the Aiglons disputed the quarter-finals of a European Cup for the first time in their history.
