Man of the Match: Brendan Chardonnet (8): The emblematic central defender of Stade Brestois was impressive in the duel. At the start of the match, the Niçois took advantage of the spaces to find face-to-face situations in depth, and despite the dynamism of Guessand, he did very well overall. He is also impeccable in the recovery and in the construction of the game.
Brest (4-3-3):
Bizot (5): The Dutch goalkeeper was not called upon much in this game. While Nice had strong periods at the start of each half, he did not have to make any major saves. He comes out perfectly in front of Guessand in the early stages to hamper the Azurean attacker, but for the rest, his clean-sheet is largely deserved.
Locko (7): The solid left-back who came through Stade de Reims was once again enormous on his wing. Most of the Aiglons’ hot action was on the other side of the pitch. He was never caught out for speed by Lotomba and Laborde and in addition to his defensive application, he played his part in the offensive tasks.
Brassier (6): Like his whole team, it took him several minutes to get into the game and he is not far from seeing Guessand open the scoring following a good call in depth behind him. Subsequently, he managed his efforts fairly well, although Brest had clearly rebalanced the debate.
Chardonnet (8): See above.
Lala (6): The former Strasbourg player has established himself as the undisputed starter in this Breton team for many weeks now, and match after match he repays the confidence that Stade Brestois had placed in him when he arrived. Reassuring with the ball at his feet, he distils good crosses which systematically bring danger into the opposing area.
Lees-Melou (6.5): Another very serious match for the former Nice midfielder. After a difficult start, he clearly stepped up his game and despite a shoulder alert at the end of the first half, he was able to continue and was the playmaker for Brest in the second half. The only negative point is his lack of lucidity in front of goal, but it is difficult to blame him given all the efforts he made.
Magnetti (6): Undisputed starter in the mind of his coach, the one who is also taking advantage of the departure of Kamory Doumbia to the CAN to show himself is at the origin of Satriano’s chance since it is he who forces Bulka to a horizontal which did not not benefit the Uruguayan in stride. An interesting meeting again for him.
Camara (6): The former Stéphanois was, as usual, one of the most influential players in his team. He played numerous duels in midfield and caused problems for the Nice defence. Warned in the second half, he did not drop in intensity in this tight and fast-paced match. Replaced by Jonas Martin (77′).
Pereira Lage (4): The Portuguese, who scored the equalizer at the Parc des Princes last week, took advantage of the absence of Jérémy Le Douaron to start in this game. However, he was only very little seen, as Eric Roy’s players struggled to attack in the first few minutes. Replaced by Steve Mounié (70′).
Del Castillo (5): The flamboyant attacking player from Brest was not successful tonight. He did not have the opportunity to ignite the Brest public with the technical gestures of which he is the secret. He was well taken by Bard in general and he did not grace the supporters with accelerations to destabilize the well-established Nice block.
Satriano (5): The Uruguayan striker of Stade Brestois finally gets the biggest chance of the match. Following Magnetti’s shot stopped by Bulka, the player belonging to Inter Milan rushes in while the cage seemed open and the ball went over the cage. Replaced by Axel Camblan (83′).
Nice (3-4-1-2):
Bulka (4): While the Polish goalkeeper has kept two consecutive clean sheets on a pitch where it is always difficult to win, for the first time this season, the former PSG and Chelsea goalkeeper was not reassuring, neither in his passes nor in the few interventions he was able to make. On a loose ball, he puts it back on Satriano who misses the target by a very narrow margin for the biggest chance of the game.
Dante (6): The Brazilian captain sometimes made some uncharacteristic mistakes, including committing fouls, but he remained serious and focused in this top-of-the-table clash. Just as comfortable in a two-man defense as in a three-man backline, he was rigorous from start to finish and was solid in the air.
Todibo (6): After a fairly significant suspension period, the Aiglons’ central defender is gradually finding his feet again. If he was less impressive than against Metz, he did his job rather well in Brittany and if Nice wants to stay at the top of the table, they will need a great Todibo until the end of the season.
Ndayishimiye (5.5): A key player in Farioli’s system, the Burundian clearly started as the third central defender, but for only the second time this season after the Coupe de France match against Auxerre, it was not in a hybrid role. He had a mixed bag, but overall his performance was largely correct despite his yellow card in the second half.
Bard (6): The OGC Nice left-back was in the starting line-up for the twentieth time in as many league games this season. Excellent in the duel as usual, he did his defensive job very well and to be honest, he had very little opportunity to go up his flank to offer offensive solutions. Replaced by Romain Perraud (79′).
Thuram (5): For his second consecutive start after his injury, the Azure midfielder was too transparent in midfield. Despite a few initiatives in the first half-hour, his performance was too neutral this afternoon. He won back a lot of balls but Nice are probably expecting more from him.
Boudaoui (5): Back in the starting line-up for the first time since Algeria’s premature elimination from the African Cup of Nations, the Fennec did not have the expected influence in midfield. He was eventually muzzled by the Stade Brestois midfield trio and even if he held on physically, it was a rather complicated match for him.
Lotomba (4): Another difficult performance for the Swiss full-back, who was deployed at the Stade Francis Le Blé tonight in a wing-back role that seems to suit his qualities a little more. Nevertheless, and as too often, he was hesitant offensively and sometimes left important spaces for the Brest attack. Replaced by Valentin Rosier (64′), who was playing his first match for his new club.
Sanson (5.5): The midfielder on loan from Aston Villa was very active at the start of the game, being at the origin of most of the Azurean comebacks. Then, it was a little more difficult for him but as usual, his efforts should be highlighted and were precious for his team. Replaced by Tom Louchet (80′).
Guessand (6): In line with his very accomplished performance against FC Metz last week, the player trained at the Gym was a constant threat to the SB29 defense. At the start of the match, he benefited from several one-on-ones against Chardonnet, and had the biggest chance of his team but his shot went wide of Bizot’s goal.
Laborde (4): Apart from a very good pass in depth for Guessand on the biggest Nice chance of the match at the very start of the game, the OGC Nice striker once again disappointed. The player who has only scored three goals this season did not really weigh on the Brest rearguard. Replaced by Mohamed-Ali Cho (64′).
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