PLAYER RATINGS | OGC Nice 2-0 Lille: Sofiane Diop and Isak Jansson punish frustrated Les Dogues | OneFootball

Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 10, 29/10/25

Nice would register their third consecutive Ligue 1 victory as they sat back and let Lille OSC huff and puff before hitting them on the break to win 2-0. 

The Match

Corners were Lille’s secret weapon during their narrow defeat to PAOK FC last week, and it looked as if they would be the way to unsettle Nice tonight. In the fifth minute, Hákon Arnar Haraldsson’s set-piece found Thomas Meunier. The fullback was able to head the ball towards goal, forcing Yehvann Diouf into an early save. 

Nice were able to shake off the early scare and started brightly in the opening exchanges. Sofiane Diop was active, knitting the attack together and releasing his teammates into the final third. Tiago Gouveia flashed a shot wide, while Salis Abdul Samed’s cross fell safely into the arms of Arnaud Bodart. 

Lille grew into the game, taking better care of the ball and forcing Nice into a low block, but they would come undone in unfortunate circumstances. A speculative ball towards Kevin Carlos entered the Lille box, Nathan Ngoy left it for his keeper, who slid in to sweep up the pass. The ball bounced through the gap in Bodart’s outstretched arms, and the keeper kept sliding, taking out the Nice striker. Diop stepped up and converted the penalty with a Panenka to score in his fifth consecutive Ligue 1 fixture. 

Lille grew increasingly frustrated as they struggled to find a way into the Nice box. More and more, they opted to try their luck from distance, with only Romain Perraud’s long-range effort forcing Diouf into danger; the keeper’s parry fell just out of reach of the waiting Hamza Igamane.

Lille’s fortune didn’t improve much in the second half. Nice kept a tight 5-4-1 shape that was content to sit within their box and pose the question to Les Dogues: Can you find a way to break us down? The answer was no. Lille focused their play on their left wing, with Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Romain Perraud creating neat passing moves that would inevitably lead end with a waiting red and black shirt. Frustration again began to grow for the visitors.

It looked as if Bodart would offer Nice another gift late into the second half when he passed the ball to Kevin Carlos. The striker should have fired from range to punish the keeper, who was well out of his box, but with his confidence low, he opted to pass to the substitute Isak Jansson, who could only run the ball into safety before firing off a weak shot. 

Bodart would make his third mistake of the evening, and this time, Nice wouldn’t be so nice about it. The goalkeeper fluffed his clearance, which Morgan Sanson collected. The midfielder pivoted and released Jansson. The forward would make it two to punish a Lille side, who had huffed and puffed throughout the match and been undone on the counter. 

OGC Nice Player Ratings

Yehvann Diouf, 8

It’s been a slow start to life in the south of France, but this was a truly excellent performance from the summer signing. He was cool and composed when tasked with the four shots that Lille managed to put on target. 

Kojo Peprah Oppong, 7

Juma Bah, 9

The clear Man of the Match. The Manchester City loanee was a force to be reckoned with in the backline. It appeared as if he came out best in every single duel, a moving brick wall that disrupted and frustrated a Lille side that lacked ambition and endeavour. 

Antoine Mendy, 7

Melvin Bard, 7

Charles Vanhoutte, 7

Replaced in the 85th minute by Morgan Sanson. 

Salis Abdul Samed, 6

Replaced in the 69th minute by Isak Jansson. 

Tiago Gouveia, 5

The weakest performance out of the Nice back five, but not necessarily a bad performance. He was generally bested in his 1v1s by Fernandez-Pardo. It was clear Lille were focusing on his side, but they still couldn’t find a way through. 

Sofiane Diop, 6

Replaced in the 67th minute by Hicham Boudaoui. 

Jérémie Boga, 5

Replaced in the 68th minute by Tom Louchet. 

Kevin Carlos, 4

Lille Player Ratings

Arnaud Bodart, 2

A terrible performance. Lille’s no.2 was a late addition to the lineup with Berke Özer’s surprising unavailability. He made three bad mistakes, and two of them were punished. The Lille defence did not necessarily have a bad game, which makes his mistakes all the more glaring, as it cost the club dearly. 

Romain Perraud, 5

Aïssa Mandi, 5

Nathan Ngoy, 5

Thomas Meunier, 5

Ayyoub Bouaddi, 4

Replaced by Nabil Bentaleb in the 69th minute. 

Benjamin André, 3

Replaced by Olivier Giroud in the 81st minute. 

Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 5

The highest-rated forward player for Lille. Fernandez-Pardo is frustrating to watch. He’s brilliant on the ball and looks impossible to defend. He’ll progress the play into these dangerous areas, and then when he’s asked to pull the trigger, his decision-making lets him down. His crosses don’t find the target, and his shots are easily blocked. 

Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, 4

A frustrating game for Lille’s most dangerous player with the ball. He had a small patch in the second half, where he looked as if he was beginning to find his rhythm, but ultimately, this never came to pass. His booking signalled the end of his evening. Replaced by Ngal’ayel Mukau in the 85th minute. 

Félix Correia, 4

Replaced by Osame Sahraoui in the 69th minute. 

Hamza Igamane, 4

Replaced by Marius Broholm in the 70th minute. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland