The match is between two people.
With Marcin Bulka out, the coach had an easy decision to make in handing the hugely experienced Denmark international, who watched last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Toulouse from the bench.
It was his Strasbourg counterpart Matz Sels who caught the eye first, turning aside a Khephren Thuram shot (10′) before Schmeichel made his first save in French football.
Nice had won five of their last seven home games, losing just once, but they were on the back foot for much of the 90 minutes against a Strasbourg side clearly intent on making up for their 2-1 home loss to Monaco in Round 1.
Nice went ahead against the run of play after Alexander Djiku’s close-range volley was brilliantly kept out by Schmeichel. Gerzino Nyamsi brought down Amine Gouiri and Andy Delort drilled the spot-kick to open his account.
Sels pushed out a Calvin Stengs effort at the end of the first half, before Strasbourg took the lead in the second half with a shot by Habib Diallo.
He couldn’t do anything as Strasbourg, who had won in Nice last season, got the tie-breaker. Gameiro was able to hold off Jordan Lotomba and make a play on the ball, which was perfect for him.
Youcef Atal’s shot was parried by Sels in the 84th minute, but the Algeria international’s shot might have earned the hosts a win had it not been for the save.
The person who is playing is Kasper Schmeichel.
It was expected that the new Nice goalkeeper would make an impact after 11 years and nearly 300 appearances in the premier league. In his first 90 minutes, he made some big saves to keep his club’s first match of the season from falling flat.
2 is the number.
In their last 10 matches against Strasbourg, Nice have only won two of them.
Komnen Andric got his first goals for his new club as he scored twice in a 4-2 victory for Clermont over Reims on Sunday. After being 2-0 down at the break in Champagne country and having to play the rest of the second half with only one man, the side showed tremendous resilience and exploited the extra man they had at their disposal. Auxerre were left kicking themselves as they surrendered the 2-0 lead they had built early in their first home game in the top flight, with Angers coming back to earn a point.
Philippe Montanier’s men secured the first league win of their top-flight return after Toulouse drew with Nice last Sunday. In front of a sell-out crowd at the Stade Franois Coty, the first top-flight match at home in eight years ended in a point as they held Lens to a goalless draw.
The MATCH REPORT: Montpellier
