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1st Team

Nice - OM (0-1) | Sanson seals the three points!

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OM.net
On Sunday 21 October 2018 at 09:04

Olympique de Marseille earned a narrow 1-0 win over Patrick Vieira’s Nice in the Mediterranean Derby on Sunday evening.

Following the international break, and the start of a big week with games against Lazio and PSG to come, OM needed the three points here to earn some sort of momentum heading into those matches.

With Florian Thauvin injured and Lucas Ocampos and Luiz Gustavo suspended, it was a slightly makeshift side that took to the pitch at the Allianz Riviera, and they found themselves on the back foot in the early stages.

Mario Balotelli and Allan Saint-Maximin kept the OM defence busy, with Mandanda also saving well from Wylan Cyprien in a tough first half.

Things were made easier however when Bouna Sarr, who stopped a goal-bound shot from Balotelli in the first half, charged up the field after a neat pass from Nemanja Radonjic to set up Morgan Sanson whose cool finish put OM into an unlikely lead.

The second half became a more defensive affair as OM sought to close up shop. It worked to a satisfying degree as Nice failed to register any key shots on target - their only chance of note being a Cyprien effort that whistled dangerously past the post.

OM return to fourth, level with Montpellier in 3rd in Ligue 1 and take on Lazio in UEFA Europa League action on Thursday.