The "Gym" was not in Olympic form at St. Jakob-Park. He leaves his trip to Switzerland with regrets, but the hope still intact to reach the semi-final of the "small" European Cup.

The Niçois, supported by some 1,800 fans in Basel, will have the support of the Allianz Arena next Thursday, and it will certainly not be too much. Thursday's copy was generally limited, with leaden defensive errors and offensive combinations too rare.

The red and black fans experienced a rollercoaster evening from their full parking lot: the frustration of a penalty conceded stupidly (24th), the joy of a close double from Terem Moffi (38th, 45th+1) before the break, then the disappointment of an avoidable equaliser (71st) by Zeki Amdouni.

Finally, the final result fairly accurately reflects the tenor of a match that each team dominated in sequences, without ever gaining the upper hand over the other.

Nice and its young coach Didier Digard have been going through a less prosperous period for a month and a half, with no victory in the league (five draws in a row and a defeat last Saturday against Paris SG).

UEFA Index

A victory next Thursday would allow to regain momentum for the Riviera, at the same time as offering French football a little comfort on the continental scene.

The France fears for its fifth place in the UEFA index, the one that determines the number of places allocated to the country in the Champions League. The Netherlands are in ambush not far, and the victory of Feyenoord Rotterdam against AS Roma Thursday in the Europa League (1-0) is not likely to reassure.

In Basel, the Niçois could even have left with a defeat in the suitcases.

Fortunately, Kasper Schmeichel watched over the grain on several occasions, making saving saves especially in the second half (67th, 90th).

Terem Moffi just scored OGC Nice's first goal in Basel, April 13, 2023 © SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

The hero of the evening could have been called Moffi, but the 23-year-old Nigerian striker's double, eight minutes before the break, was not enough.

The second goal of the former Lorientais, sublime, will remain as an unfinished masterpiece: pass between the lines of Khéphren Thuram, center dipped Gaëtan Laborde and acrobatic return of Moffi, a model of the genre.

The N.9 celebrated its wonder in front of the Côte d'Azur fans gathered in the parking lot, who came with smoke, a red and black banner "Nissa Europa" and even fireworks, which they fired from Barfüsserplatz in the afternoon.

Before this stroke of genius, the Niçois played backwards, as if numbed by the Swiss coldness, overwhelmed by opposing breakthroughs in midfield and guilty of rather gross defensive errors.

The Aiglons have particularly struggled against the advances of Dan Ndoye, an elder of the house. The Swiss winger provoked two yellow cards quickly: first for Ayoub Amraoui (18th), then for Jean-Clair Todibo (24th), more problematic because associated with a penalty conceded.

The 23-year-old defender, late on a long ball, inflicted a non-regulation shoulder blow in the back of Ndoye (23rd). Amdouni, the Basel N.9, deceived Schmeichel with cold blood (26th).

An uncontrolled gesture, like the general performance of the Niçois.

© 2023 AFP