MY ACCOUNT
Amine Gouiri put Nice in sight of a first Coupe de France triumph for 25 years as Christophe Galtier’s team reached the final with a 2-0 win over minnows Versailles.
France Under-21 forward Gouiri eased nerves inside the Allianz Riviera when he drilled Nice ahead with a sharp finish in the 48th minute.
Gouiri had chances to extend the home team’s lead, before he laid on the chance for Kasper Dolberg to rattle in the second goal.
Nantes or Nice’s neighbours Monaco await in the final, which will be played on May 8 at the Stade de France.
Nice last won this cup in 1997 but have already eliminated Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille in this season’s competition and fourth-tier Versailles were understandably conservative in their approach.
Khephren Thuram headed inches over the bar after a left-wing corner from Calvin Stengs picked him out at the near post.
Stengs had a shot from 12 yards well blocked after working the chance well with Gouiri on the left, before Diego Michel trickled a low shot wide at the other end.
Thuram had another great chance after Stengs, this time from the right, clipped in a cross that he could headed straight at goalkeeper Dan Delaunay.
Gouiri threatened early in the second half but took a heavy touch and the chance went, yet within a minute he had another opening, controlling Jordan Lotomba’s cross right-wing cross and finding the top-right corner from 12 yards.
Gouiri was denied by Delaunay and then saw another shot deflect wide but Nice’s insurance goal came in the 73rd minute when substitute Dolberg lashed into the bottom-left corner.
Evann Guessand struck the crossbar amid a late Nice flurry, as they eased into their first Coupe de France final in 25 years.
What does it mean? Nice make no mistake
Galtier, who led Lille to the Ligue 1 title last term, would have told his team to put in a professional show and reap the reward, and that is how this performance felt. Nice dominated and got the win they richly deserved, dominating just about every data metric to illustrate the gulf between the teams and having 21 shots to their opponents’ eight.
For Versailles and their coach Youssef Chibhi, this was the end of a famous cup adventure. For Nice, a chance now beckons to land significant silverware.
Gouiri and Stengs steal the show
Impressive in Ligue 1, the lively Gouiri was again the big threat here for Nice, taking five shots (matched only by Thuram) and playing three key passes, including the assist. Only the outstanding Stengs created more chances (nine in total, an outstanding figure for a single game).
Gouiri might be pushing for World Cup duty by the end of the year, but it is a different cup in his sights just now.
Rosario’s double-triple
Pablo Rosario saw plenty of the ball at the heart of the Nice defence and achieved triple figures both in touches (108) and passes (102), while he also completed 96 passes.
What’s next?
Nice tackle leaders PSG in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Versailles are next in action when they face Voltigeurs Chateaubriant, also on Saturday.
