The OGC Nice needed a feat in Lisbon to continue its European dream, it did not take place. Beaten 2-0 to go to the Allianz Riviera, Franck Haise's men hoped to reverse the trend, but Benfica quickly ended the Nice illusions. From the quarter of an hour of play, the Aiglons underwent the technical and collective domination of the LisBoets, confirming the limits of a workforce already weakened by several major absences.
Nice undergoes a new lesson in Lisbon
As in the outward journey, the Norwegians Fredrik Auersnes and Andreas Schjelderup have frozen the Nice hopes. First a smuggler, Schjelderup found at the opening for the opening of the score in the 18th minute. Less than ten minutes later, the roles were reversed: AuRsnes, inspired, served back his young compatriot, whose resumption ended at the bottom after touching the post. Benfica was already leading 2-0, practically sealing the outcome of the double confrontation.
The absence of executives like Dante and Morgan Sanson, injured, weighed heavily on defensive solidity and collective experience. The recruits, like Isak Jansson or Yehvann Diouf, failed to compensate, and the Nice rearguard has often been exceeded. Antoine Mendy tried to contain the opposing waves, but himself worried the bench by twisting pain after violent contact.
Cap on the Europa League
With this new road trip to the 3rd preliminary round, Nice is added to the long list of French clubs eliminated at this stage. Since the tricolor clubs participated in this turn, the success rate has caps at 20 %, with only two qualifications in ten attempts. An observation which relaunches the debate on the competitiveness of Ligue 1 on the European scene.
Pay in the Europa League, the gym will share the league phase with Lille and Lyon. If the C1 and its financial windfall are moving away, the club still has a card to play on the continental scene. But to hope to exist, it will be necessary to strengthen yourself by the end of the transfer window and find a defensive balance. The Ineos group is now faced with its responsibilities to avoid a white season.
