March 04, (THEWILL) – In a closely contested match, Nice were held to a 1-1 draw by Auxerre at their Allianz Riviera home grounds.
The draw not only halted Nice’s recent momentum but also extended Didier Digard’s unbeaten run as manager. Despite dominating possession, Nice struggled to break through Auxerre’s defence in the first half, with the visitors having the better chances.
It was Auxerre, who looked the most dangerous early on, with Matthis Abline coming close to scoring in the opening minute. However, it was Gauthier Hein, who put Auxerre ahead in the 40th minute after a mistake by Dante. Nice were offered a lifeline when Khéphren Thuram was brought down in the box and given a soft penalty, but Gaëtan Laborde failed to convert from the spot.
Nice came out with renewed energy in the second half and equalised through a diving header from Laborde, but both teams struggled to create chances thereafter. Auxerre, having been pegged back, seemed content to hold on for a point, while Nice tried in vain to find a winner without much luck as it was not Moffi’s day.
With the draw, Auxerre move out of the relegation zone by one point, while Nice remain four points away from fifth-placed Rennes. The next match for Nice is the Europa Conference League tie against FC Sheriff on Thursday. Then on Saturday, Auxerre are up against Rennes.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
