Nice 4-1 Saint-Etienne: Nice secure Ligue 1 survival with clinical victory
OGC Nice secured their Ligue 1 status in spectacular fashion as a late, three-goal blitz blew Saint-Etienne away at an empty Allianz Riviera to seal a 4-1 victory on the night and on aggregate.
In a high-stakes relegation play-off second leg dubbed the ‘Match of Fear’, Claude Puel’s side overcame an incredibly tense opening hour to completely devastate their Ligue 2 opponents in the final ten minutes. Jonathan Clauss gave Nice a deserved lead with a fierce, near-post strike just after the hour mark, capitalizing on Saint-Etienne’s failure to clear a long throw. The visitors briefly harbored dreams of a top-flight return when Antoine Mendy was penalized for handball, allowing Zuriko Davitashvili to confidently sweep home a 79th-minute penalty.
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However, Saint-Etienne’s joy lasted fewer than two minutes. Nice substitute Kail Boudache restored the hosts’ advantage with a brilliant, curled effort into the bottom-left corner, triggering a mixture of rage and immense relief on the home bench. As the visitors pushed forward in desperation, Elye Wahi took center stage to deliver a stunning parting gift before the expiration of his loan spell. The forward collected Tom Louchet’s pass to fire home a clinical third in the 87th minute, before racing clear on the counter-attack in stoppage time to delightfully dink the ball over Gautier Larsonneur.
The late collapse was cruel on Saint-Etienne, who had started the brighter of the two teams following a cautious, goalless first leg. The visitors had an early Lucas Stassin goal ruled out for offside and hit the woodwork via the same player shortly after half-time. Nice had also been denied by the post in the first half when Wahi’s sliding effort clipped the upright, while Larsonneur made brilliant saves to deny veteran defender Dante and Mendy before the break.
Ultimately, Nice’s superior attacking quality shone through when it mattered most, ending a miserable seven-game winless run at home in all competitions. While Saint-Etienne must face the financial and competitive reality of another season in the second tier, Nice can celebrate their survival, ensuring they will compete in France’s top flight for a 25th consecutive campaign
