Last tricolor representative in European competition, OGC Nice passed, Thursday, five minutes from a very first European semi-final in their history. Bad news for French football and not just for the Riviera club.
The return of Black Thursday. French football had become accustomed, for too many years, to these European Cup evenings which saw its representatives chain bad performances. Unaccustomed to participating in it, OGC Nice brought its stone to the building, Thursday, April 20, by losing after extra time in the quarter-final return of the Europa League conference against FC Basel (1-2 ap).
A disaster scenario for the Riviera club first, he who was already dreaming of a European epic. For French football especially, whose fifth place in the UEFA index is threatened by the Netherlands. A downgrade which would see the number of French clubs qualified at the end of the season for the European Cups drop from seven to six from the 2024-2025 season, with preliminary rounds to be played at the very start of the season. Above all, Ligue 1 would then not benefit from the new reform and would retain three qualified in the Champions League (including one in the preliminary round), instead of four (including three direct tickets) as the 5th European championship.
In this fight from a distance, the French had taken a first hit on the head at the start of the evening, with the qualification of AZ Alkmaar for the semi-finals of the Europa League conference. Last tricolor representative this season in the European Cup, Nice would have the future of French football between their feet on Thursday. “On knows that we play for all of France“, Didier Digard had already agreed in March, before his team’s round of 16 against Sheriff Tiraspol.
“We fell into a false rhythm”
His men seemed to assume this role of tricolor standard bearer. After Gaëtan Laborde’s goal at the start of the match at the Allianz Riviera, the Aiglons quietly headed for their first European Cup semi-final qualification in their history.
/2023/04/20/6441ad7f7f3e1_000-33dk7rk.jpg)
But the calm waters of the Riviera have suddenly become agitated. Enough to rock the Nice ship, and lose the course to Captain Digard. The coach will certainly have two regrets after this elimination. That a penalty was not whistled for his team after a foul on Terem Moffi in the second period. And to have released his Nigerian striker fifteen minutes from the end of the match while his team was leading by one goal. Ten minutes later, Jean-Kevin Augustin equalized for FC Basel, before the qualifying goal scored in extra time by Kasim Adams.
“We had a great start to the game. But we fell into a false rhythm and in the European Cup, it does not pass. We are extremely disappointed for ourselves and for the supporters. It should have been a great party for everyone, but it didn’t.“, Nice striker Gaëtan Laborde said after the match, staring into space at the microphone of W9.
France will have to support West Ham
At first cruel the scenario turned to drama, the fault of AS Roma. La Louve gave French football a cold sweat by being virtually eliminated until the 89th minute by the other Dutch club still in the running: Feyenoord Rotterdam. On the wire, the Romans reversed the situation, temporarily kept French football afloat.
On its raft, France is now directly threatened by the Netherlands, who can count on AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals of the Europa League conference. If the Dutch club wins the competition by winning its three matches, French football will lose its 5th place in the UEFA rankings in favor of the Batavians. The tricolor clubs will therefore rely on the English club West Ham, opponent of Alkmaar in the last four of the C4, to avoid the fateful demotion.