The 2023-2024 Ligue 1 version kicked off on Friday August 11 with a duel between Nice and Lille, respectively 9th and 5th last year. At the Allianz Riviera, it was the Aiglons who opened the scoring before being joined by their visitors a few seconds from time. The meeting, particularly intense and of a satisfactory level, offered a good show for the resumption of the elite of French football.
29,436 spectators! Never in its history has Nice attracted so many people for the first match of its season. This is to say that curiosity and expectations are enormous on the Côte d’Azur about the team of Francesco Farioli, a very young 34-year-old Italian coach.
Even if everything is not yet perfect, the Aiglons have shown, against a European team and ahead in their game certainties, the beginnings of an interesting future.
However, Farioli’s men, who led from the 19th minute on a goal from Gaëtan Laborde, failed to hold out against the incessant northern offensives. On an eccentric free kick perfectly hit by the incoming Angel, Bafodé Diakite logically equalized with a header (1-1, 90th 4).
Farioli may have said before the match that Nice would want to have the ball, like Lille, his men left the initiative to the Mastiffs throughout the match.
From the start, Paulo Fonseca’s men imposed intense pressure on the Aiglons rearguard. So much so that, very quickly, Youssouf Ndayishimiye came to lend a hand to the Dante-Todibo duo.
Heckled, the Niçois did not break up. On a magnificent counter after a loss of the ball from Rémi Cabella, Khéphren Thuram even pierced the heart before serving Terem Moffi in depth. In his favorite register, the Nigerian did not miss. His shift model allowed Gaëtan Laborde to become, with a subtle dive, the first scorer in the 2023-2024 championship (1-0, 19th).
In the process, Thuram and Moffi, again, even thought to double the bet. But the French international was offside on the delivery of his center forward (20th). Faithful to his risky game, Lille went back to the attack stronger. But Marcin Bulka has demonstrated, twice, why he was preferred to Kasper Schmeichel.
First, he was perfect on a curled and vicious off-center strike from Jonathan David (22nd). Then he released a high-level right-handed reflex save in front of Cabella, masterfully served in the area by Hakon Haraldsson (41st).
Just before the break (45th), a suspicious scramble by Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier on Morgan Sanson, author of a good first in his new colors, could have been worth a penalty. But Mr. Bastien and the video assistance decided otherwise.
Thereafter, Lille continued to dominate the game. Nice defended perfectly around a very solid Ndayishimiye, jack of all trades. Until Diakite offers his own a deserved equalizer (1-1, 90th 4).
