Nice extended their unbeaten home record against Auxerre to six matches (W4, D2) but were left frustrated after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer in a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Riviera. The result prevented them from drawing level on points with second-placed Marseille in the Ligue 1 standings.
Coming off an impressive 2-0 win at Reims, 11th-placed Auxerre arrived with confidence, and the opening stages reflected their discipline as Nice struggled to create meaningful chances in a game lacking attacking spark. The first real attempt came in the 25th minute when Hamed Traoré—Auxerre’s top scorer this season—tested Marcin Bułka, but the Nice goalkeeper dealt with it comfortably.
Despite the slow start, Nice broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Gaëtan Laborde’s strike was deflected behind for a corner, and from the resulting delivery by Tom Louchet, Laborde nodded the ball across goal. Evann Guessand was on hand to head it home, with a touch off the unfortunate Kévin Danois. The goal was credited to Guessand, marking his 12th of the season across all competitions.
Nice ended the first half on top and looked in control after the break. Traoré’s curling effort wide was Auxerre’s only real moment of threat early in the second half, while Nice pushed for a second. Hicham Boudaoui attempted an ambitious overhead kick in the 54th minute, but his effort flew over the bar. Melvin Bard then squandered a promising opportunity before delivering a teasing cross that narrowly evaded Boudaoui.
At the other end, Traoré was once again denied by Bułka before suffering a shoulder injury that forced him off, with Lassine Sinayoko coming on as part of a triple substitution for Auxerre. Nice had a strong penalty appeal when Bard appeared to be fouled by Sinaly Diomandé, but the referee waved play on. Moments later, Louchet failed to beat Donovan Léon, missing a chance to put the game to bed.
Auxerre kept pushing as the game neared its conclusion. Mohamed Ali-Cho had a golden chance to seal the win for Nice but failed to convert. Then, the hosts were reduced to 10 men when Bard was shown a red card, shifting momentum in Auxerre’s favor. Deep into stoppage time, substitute Ado Onaiwu threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Florian Ayé, who finished clinically to snatch a dramatic equalizer.
Auxerre’s hopes of securing consecutive Ligue 1 away wins for the first time since October 2010 were dashed, but they will return home with renewed confidence as they prepare to face bottom-placed Montpellier after the international break. Meanwhile, Nice will turn their attention to a crucial clash with top-three rivals Monaco, hoping to bounce back from this late setback.
