Nice, which has long led, liquefied at the end of the game to lose in extra time, Thursday evening at the Allianz Riviera against FC Basel (2-1), who will therefore face the Italians of Fiorentina in half -final of the Europa League Conference.
It was a tough blow for the Rouge et Noir who had drawn (2-2) in the first leg and who led until the 86th minute of the game, and a superb half-volley from Jean-Kevin Augustin, against a Swiss team tossed about, forced to defend so as not to sink.
As in 1957 and 1960, the Aiglons did not manage to make it past the quarter-finals. But this time around Basel was nothing like a European ogre, like Real Madrid was back then.
This European elimination, which occurred after a third consecutive defeat, in all competitions, announces a tense end to the season for a club which no longer plays anything in the league and is mired in the “Galtier affair”. It also announces a complicated European tomorrow for French football, of which Nice was the last representative in the European Cup this season.
Augustine goalscorer
If the people of Nice will not go to the Stadio Artemio-Franchi in Florence on May 11, they can only blame themselves and their feverishness. Basel came out ten minutes from the end of the meeting. Led by incoming and ex-Parisian Jean-Kevin Augustin, of exemplary freshness, the Swiss returned a compromised situation in less than ten minutes.
On a header from Riccardo Calafiori, served in depth by the young French midfielder Andy Diouf, on loan from Rennes, Augustin executed a perfect half-volley for a relentless equalizer (1-1, 86th).
In the process, he brought the ball up 60 meters after collecting it in front of his box to give Dan Ndoye a goal ball. The former Nice saw his attempt released for a corner by Kasper Schmeichel (89th). On the following action, Nice, scared, let Amdouni hit the post (90th).
If during the extension Nicolas Pépé had the ball of qualification against, he procrastinated (94th). Billal Brahimi hit the free kick for the equalizer on the bar (108th).
Because in the meantime, defender Kasim Adams had scored the qualifying goal with a header (1-2, 98th). A qualification that the players went to celebrate in front of the empty visitor parking lot, following a ministerial decree prohibiting the movement of their supporters.
However, in the first period, we found a Nice team faithful to the one which had offered itself in quick succession to Lille (1-0), Lens to Bollaert (1-0), Marseille to the Vélodrome (3-1) or even Monaco to Louis-II (3-0) between the end of January and the end of February.
Good first half
In their usual 5-3-2, without Nicolas Pépé insufficiently recovered from a knee problem and on the bench, Digard’s men quickly opened the scoring. Hicham Boudaoui’s first victorious banderilla, served by Terem Moffi who went slightly offside, did not count (7th).
It didn’t take long to see one again, validated. Khephren Thuram and Terem Moffi pressed Kasim Adams, and the combative Nigerian gave the neo-French international. Quickly, Thuram served Aaron Ramsey, who shifted Gaëtan Laborde.
His third European goal of the season, the conclusion of an inside hook and a clear left shot at the near post, capsized the 30,000 spectators with happiness (1-0, 10th).
More tense, more bumpy, the second period saw the Swiss gradually come out to equalize. The people of Nice, who have accumulated warnings, have lost their nerves, their football and their illusions.