Didier Digard and Nice have a third match without defeat.

With seven points in three games since the change of coach, the Aiglons (28 points) are six behind their opponents, and nine behind Rennes, currently European.

Lille, undefeated since October 30 in Lyon (1-0) and which remained on a single defeat in 10 days of L1 (for six wins and three draws) therefore suffered a big setback.

However, Paulo Fonseca's men created four big chances in the first half, when the score was still blank.

But Schmeichel's talent and lack of realism lost them.

They will have to react against Clermont on Wednesday, while Nice will try to continue their good run and put themselves to the test of the Lensois cauldron.

Digard and his staff can believe it: in addition to the consistent victory, they record the return of Youcef Atal and the entry of rookie Youssuf Ndayishimiye has been promising.

Bouanani passer, Laborde scorer

If Nice, without Nicolas Pépé, absent at the last minute due to a knee problem, pushed hard from the start, it took more than half an hour to see his replacement, the young Badredine Bouanani, 18 years, offer Gaëtan Laborde the only goal of the meeting (1-0, 35th).

Nice players on January 29, 2023 in Nice © Valery HACHE / AFP

Arrived from Lille last summer to sign his first professional contract on the Côte d'Azur, Bouanani has, for his first tenure in the elite, demonstrated great technical ease and a great personality on its right side.

While Nice was in difficulty, he took advantage of Rémy Cabella's uncertain back pass to go and fix the northern goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and serve Laborde, who did not miss the target and scored his sixth goal of the season in L1 (his fourth with Nice, after two in Rennes).

If the Aiglons reached the break with a goal lead, they also and above all had it thanks to their goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who was perfect in each wave against Lille.

He initially excelled ahead of Mohamed Bayo (10th).

Then, each time, he won his duel in one against one.

Ahead of Cabella twice (25th and 28th) and ahead of Timothy Weah (31st).

If we add two saves on long attempts from Ismaily (22nd) and Bayo (31st), and a controlled second period, the Danish international goalkeeper was the key man for Nice.

© 2023 AFP