At an unusually quiet Allianz Riviera, with only 18,000 spectators out of a possible 36,000, OGC Nice suffered a disastrous collapse against Glasgow Rangers in a match marred by far too many individual errors from the home side.
A catastrophic first half
With only two points from four games, Nice desperately needed to kick-start their Europa League campaign, and a home match seemed like the perfect opportunity. Just minutes in, Badredine Bouanani came close to opening the scoring, his long-range strike narrowly missing Jack Butland’s right-hand corner. In the eighth minute, Franck Haise’s men thought they had won a penalty, only for referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea to overturn his initial decision after a VAR review.
Just past the half-hour mark, the deadlock was broken when a double-deflected shot allowed Czech winger Vaclav Cerny to net his eighth goal of the season. That was just the beginning of Nice’s downfall. Three minutes later, Sterling’s deep cross, which should have posed little danger, was horribly misjudged by Pablo Rosario, gifting Mohamed Diomandé his first-ever Europa League goal.
Les Niçois sont ASSOMMÉS, 2 buts en 3 minutes 🥶
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) November 28, 2024
Gros danger en perspective pour la qualification du Gym 🤯#OGCNRFC | #UEL pic.twitter.com/EgIDNVnWn5
Coming back from two goals down in one half is already a difficult task, but things went from bad to worse when Mohamed Abdel Monem’s disastrously short back-pass allowed Hamza Igamane to pounce and make it 3-0 in stoppage time, effectively sealing the match before halftime.
A better second-half response
After the break, Nice showed more attacking intent in a bid to claw their way back. A close-range effort from Gaëtan Laborde (48’) and a powerful 20-yard strike from Hicham Boudaoui (51’) briefly sparked hope among the home fans. However, just a minute later, Nice’s defensive frailties resurfaced. Rosario, already enduring a nightmare game, miskicked a clearance straight into the path of Igamane, who calmly slotted home his second goal of the night in a one-on-one with Bulka.
The scoreline could have been even worse for Nice had it not been for glaring misses by Jefté (75’) and Dessers (88’). Bouanani managed to salvage some pride with a well-taken free-kick in the 81st minute, but it was little more than a consolation as Rangers secured a dominant 4-1 victory.
This match may well force Philippe Clement into making significant changes to his starting lineup. Cyriel Dessers, who has scored ten goals across all competitions this season, has been the first-choice striker, but his poor conversion rate remains a concern. Thursday night’s game highlighted the contrast, as Igamane—making a rare start—delivered a standout performance: two goals, one assist, and six duels won. Combined with Dessers’ shocking miss from close range, it could prompt a shift in the pecking order at Ibrox.
Thanks to this win, Rangers now sit eighth in the standings and are currently in the last automatic qualification spot for the Europa League round of 16. In contrast, Nice remain second-to-last with just two points from five matches, leaving their chances of qualification hanging by a thread.
