A full and electric Ray stadium. Nearly 15,000 Red and Black souls are gathered to write history and push very hard behind the Aiglons. This Friday, April 26, 2002 the Gym is 90 minutes away from happiness. But to live it and share it, you still have to beat Istres and pray for a misstep from Le Mans, who are playing at the same time. And everything will unfold like a dream.
– Maxppp
Poussin Meslin shows the way
Le Gym dominated and Christophe Meslin opened the scoring just before the break with an unstoppable cross shot. 16th goal of the season for “Chick“, who can do the rooster. The Aiglons are flying towards success, tied up thanks to two new goals from Laurent Gagnier and Pablo Rodriguez, hero among heroes of an evening that goes down in history. Because at the same time Le Mans bowed and opened the doors of D1 to the Aiglons, five years after having left it and after three very difficult seasons in D2. “An extraordinary year,” recalls Thibault Scotto in 100% Aiglons. “It’s true that no one would have believed it at the start of the season. But we had a united group, a group of friends. Until January we were 6th or 7th but after that we managed to have a series of victories. In a chaotic context. But we managed to focus on the pitch.“
– OGC Nice media
Salvioni goes up and goes
Thanks in particular to the work of Italian coach Sandro Salvioni, who recreates a collective and gives a soul to this team. “He is the coach who has marked me the most in my career. It is thanks to him that we climbed,” confirms Thibault Scotto. “More than this game, I remember their squad,” rewinds Patrice Alberganti, president of the association of former Aiglons. “We felt it was a bunch of friends and it could only work. They had a great season and congratulations to them for bringing the club back to the 1st division!”
After this game and a last victory in Laval to crown this successful season, comes the time for big maneuvers. The club is on the verge of ruining everything and seeing the rise pass under its nose. First rejected by the DNCG, the file put together in particular by Maurice Cohen was finally validated and the club could access the 1st division with Cohen as president, but Sandro Salvioni gave up his place to Gernot Rohr on the bench, against the advice of the group which had voted for the maintenance of the Italian.
OGC Nice – FC Istres: 3 – 0 (1-0)
Referee: Mr. Thierry Desessart
Spectators: 14,440
Goals for Nice: Meslin (40th), Gagnier (65th) and Rodriguez (84th)
Nice: Valencony – Scotto, Pamarot, Berville, Evra – Nogueira (cap), Rodriguez, Tamazout (Cherrad, 80th), Aulanier – Meslin (Ayeli, 54th), Gagnier (Mané, 87th). Coach: Sandro Salvioni.
Istres: Quievreux – Richter (Diawara, 56th), Dumolin, Thiam (cap), Kanté – Chaussidiere, Kehiha, Berenguer (De Blasiis, 72nd) – Akrour, Tabet, Mouret.