They tried almost everything. Barred by the Walter Benitez wall in goal, and not helped by a lack of realism, the Strasbourg residents had to concede a draw (0-0), Saturday February 26, against Nice during the 26th day of Ligue 1. The players by Julien Stéphan remain three lengths behind the Aiglons, provisionally second in the championship.
It’s finish ! Score zero and goalless in this shock, where our Bleu & Blanc largely dominated but did not manage to shake the net. Infuriating.#RCSAOGCN (0-0) pic.twitter.com/1Ese0vBzUZ
— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (@RCSA) February 26, 2022
With four players scoring at least seven league goals in their squad (the only team in the five major European leagues in this case, with Manchester City), we were expecting fireworks from the Blue and Whites at La Meinau. But neither Ludovic Ajorque (10 goals), nor Kevin Gameiro (9 goals), nor Habib Diallo (9 goals), entered during the game, nor Adrien Thomasson (7 goals) managed to find the fault, and this, despite a significant number of attempts (17 strikes on goal).
For their part, the men of Christophe Galtier had not come to bludgeon the goal of Matz Sels, far from it. Grouped behind, the players of the Gym end the meeting with three small shots, including two in the first period, before the exclusion of Dante (48th), too nervous on Saturday.
This red card, which could have been the turning point of this clash at the top of the table, has never destabilized the best defense in the championship. When the barrier started to crack, Walter Benitez took over with a double save in front of Diallo (78th and 84th) then in front of Ajorque. In the first half, it was a missile 30 meters from Sanjin Prcic who found the Franco-Argentinian’s gloves.
Thanks to its strong defensive performance, OGC Nice preserves its place on the Ligue 1 podium and keeps its three-point cushion on Strasbourg, which undoubtedly missed a great opportunity at La Meinau.