PLAYER RATINGS | Nice 0-0 Lyon: Both sides remain winless after unentertaining draw

Ligue 1, Round 3, 27/08/2023

OGC Nice and Olympique Lyonnais saw out an entertaining 0-0 draw at the Allianz Riviera. The former remain unbeaten but winless, whilst the latter secured their first point of the season. 

Nice looked the more promising in the early exchanges, controlling the game nicely, largely thanks to Morgan Sanson’s efforts in the centre of the park. However, apart from a half chance that fell to Terem Moffi, neither side managed to conjure any clear openings, until Amin Sarr tested Marcin Bulka just after the half-hour mark.  

Following that chance, Lyon applied a brief spell of pressure, during which Bradley Barcola looked particularly dangerous, however, chances remained at a premium for both sides, much to the frustration of the home fans, who made their impressions of the first-half well-known as the players returned to their dressing rooms. 

Nice showed more ambition after the break, Sanson had a good chance immediately after the break, but falling backwards, sliced way off target. However, that intensity was not maintained, and the game quickly dipped back into its lethargic rhythm. Neither side deserved to win, and logically, neither side did. 

Nice player ratings

Marcin Bulka – 6

Melvin Bard – 5

Dante – 6

Jean-Clair Todibo – 6

Youcef Atal – 5

Morgan Sanson – 7 – Another strong performance from the Aston Villa loanee, who controlled the midfield once again. Calm and assured throughout, he didn’t put a foot wrong. 

Youssouf Ndayishimiye – 4

Khéphren Thuram – 6

Sofiane Diop – 6 – Still too inconsistent in terms of his end-product, but this was one of Diop’s brighter performances in a Nice shirt. He had the better of Kumbedi all night, and he isolated his opposite number on many occasions. The former AS Monaco attacker has underwhelmed since his move to the club, but performances like this are a reminder of why Les Aiglons invested so heavily in him in the first place. 

Terem Moffi – 4

Gaëtan Laborde – 4

Lyon player ratings

Rémy Riou – 5

Nicolas Tagliafico – 4

Sinaly Diomandé – 5

Duje Ćaleta-Car – 5

Saël Kumbedi – 3 – Diop, who is trying to refind his best form, had his number. Kumbedi was constantly out of position and beaten on many occasions. 

Corentin Tolisso – 5

Maxence Caqueret – 4

Bradley Barcola – 6 – A constant danger, but all too often too isolated. With the ball at his feet, he is a joy to watch, but the Lyon jigsaw looks too poorly assembled for him to flourish. 

Rayan Cherki – 6

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 5 – not the most memorable debut for the former Arsenal man. A tidy performance, but nothing more. 

Amin Sarr – 4 – far too anonymous a performance from a player that desperately needs to make an impression. Given Alexandre Lacazette’s presence in the squad, Sarr needs to take his chances when they come, but he operated very much on the fringes of this fixture. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle