Elye Wahi netted a late penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw in Nice’s derby clash against sixth-placed Marseille, who have now failed to win four of their last five Ligue 1 matches (D1, L3).
After celebrating their progression to the Coupe de France final, Nice had to quickly turn their focus back to the serious business of a Ligue 1 survival fight.
Given their lowly position, it was unsurprising to see Claude Puel’s charges adopt a defensive approach, and their European-chasing hosts threatened inside the opening five minutes when Arthur Vermeeren’s far-post header forced Yehvann Diouf to palm the ball away from danger.
The Nice shot-stopper was required again as the game approached the 30th-minute mark, reacting smartly to deny Leonardo Balerdi a headed goal on his 150th Ligue 1 appearance.
Marseille continued to apply the pressure in the immediate exchanges after the interval, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed wide from a gilt-edged opportunity, just moments before Tochukwu Nnadi was denied by Juma Bah’s desperate last-ditch block.
As Marseille continued to push forward, Wahi and Mohamed-Ali Cho reminded the hosts of the visitors’ own threat, forcing the alert Geronimo Rulli into two strong stops in quick succession.
With frustration building around the Stade Velodrome, there was a collective sigh of relief when the hosts finally broke the deadlock through an unlikely source, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg; the Denmark international produced a diving header to divert the ball beyond Diouf from Nnadi’s dangerous cross.
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Hojbjerg’s first league goal since November persuaded Puel to turn to Kail Boudache, who, within moments of his arrival, fluffed his lines as he headed wide of an unguarded net after Rulli carelessly lost possession.
Fortunately for Boudache, Les Aiglons were presented with another chance to level when Tadjidine Mmadi trod on former Marseille man Jonathan Clauss, allowing Wahi to showcase his confidence from the penalty spot, with his perfect Panenka snatching a draw that moves his side five points clear of danger.
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As for Habib Beye’s side, they are now four points adrift of the top four and face an uphill battle to secure UEFA Champions League qualification.
