Nice (AFP)

Nice, beaten Thursday night at home by Bayer Levekusen (2-3) on the 5th day of Group C of the Europa League, is eliminated from the competition, and, worse, continues a fifth consecutive defeat, which plunges a little more the club in crisis.

"We come to win", announced, before the meeting, the coach of Leverkusen, the Dutchman Peter Bosz, finalist of the competition with Ajax Amsterdam in 2017. The Germans did so without dispute.

They logically qualified for the rest of the competition.

And easily eliminated the Nice too quickly overwhelmed.

Nice supporters may have gone to put pressure on their players when the bus left for the stadium, nothing helped.

Leverkusen was above a Nice in great pain since Dante's injury in Angers a month ago.

With five defeats for as many matches and 14 goals conceded during this period, the Gym and Patrick Vieira are pursuing a black series that could quickly cost the former captain of the Gunners his job as coach.

He will have to achieve a result Sunday in Reims in Ligue 1, in a duel between two French dunces in Europe ...

Faced with Bayer's offensive strength, Nice could not hold out their 3-4-3 for long.

Too quickly transformed into 5-4-1, with an uneasy Bambu-Daniliuc-Nsoki axis.

The first could even have conceded a penalty after an inconsiderate tackle (4th).

But in the Europa League, there is no VAR in the group stage ...

- Calvary on set pieces -

Sure of his mastery, Leverkusen, who has suffered only one defeat in 14 games this season (in Prague, 1-0), continued to push.

And on a voluptuous flick from Kerem Demirbay, the Frenchman Moussa Diaby volleyed victoriously (0-1, 22nd).

To hope to stay alive in the competition, the Gym then had only to pass five to its opponent!

Without conceding another goal!

If Hassane Kamara, with a flat volley with a very clean foot, following a hazardous relaunch from the German defense, started a return sketch (1-1, 26th), everything fell apart five minutes later.

Once again, the Niçois lost their duels on a corner.

This time, Dan Ndoye, who had just replaced Myziane Maolida, injured in a thigh (28th), dropped his marking.

Aleksandar Dragovic took advantage (1-2, 32nd).

Lars Bender, the German captain, was even taken out at the break.

But it was his whole team who came back late.

Ndoye then equalized, exploiting a hand fault by the goalkeeper, Lukas Hradecky, on a free kick from Jeff Reine-Adelaide (2-2, 47th).

But as always, Nice was faulty on set piece.

Bambu let Julian Baumgartlinger quietly perform his head thrown back to beat Benitez (2-3, 51st).

Without Pierre Lees-Melou (ankle sprain), Youcef Atal (thigh), Kasper Dolberg (adductor injury), Dante (cruciate ligament injury), Morgan Schneiderlin and Hicham Boudaoui (suspended), the Gym therefore experienced an ordeal for his last home game in the Europa League.

And for Vieira, the days go by and nothing changes.

"It's a very complicated moment, I have to face it, he said the day before the match. I am combative. I have always hung on as a player. I will continue to do so as a coach."

How long can this last?

© 2020 AFP