OGC Nice and FC Lorient played out a scoreless draw in the opening match of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season. The game at the Allianz Riviera ended 0-0, with both teams struggling to convert early chances.

After a disappointing 16th-place finish last season, Nice needed a strong start to reaffirm their place in France’s top flight. Under new manager Olivier Pantaloni, the Niçois fielded a 3-4-3 formation, giving young defender Junior Mandza (17) his first Ligue 1 start. Midfielders Everton Pereira and Gauthier Hein were paired with forwards Sofiane Diop and Zoumana Diallo, while Jonathan Clauss captained the side.

Key stat: Lorient had not won in Nice since April 2014 (1-2).

An open start but wasted opportunities

Lorient began the stronger side, with Théo Le Bris testing Nice’s defense early. At the 14th minute, Sofiane Diop nearly broke the deadlock after a slip from Lorient’s Kouassi, but Mvogo made a crucial save. Both teams saw shots blocked, including efforts from Gauthier Hein and Jonathan Clauss.

Lorient had their chances too. At the 21st minute, Coulibaly lost possession in a dangerous area, allowing Makengo to test Yehvann Diouf, who tipped the ball over. Diouf soon redeemed himself with a sharp save against Bernardeau. Just before halftime, Everton Pereira thought he had scored via a corner deflection, but a foul on Cadiou was called.

“We were scared at times, but that’s our style. We create chances, we just need to finish them,” reflected Antoine Mendy.

A second half of missed chances

The second half saw a drop in intensity, with both teams struggling to create clear openings. At the hour mark, Noah Cadiou and Mamadou Koné both failed to convert well-worked moves against Diouf.

Substitute Nathan Ngoumou had a late chance at the 83rd minute, but his attempt was blocked. The final scare came in stoppage time, when Lorient’s Tosin powered a header just over Diouf’s crossbar.

Speaking on Nice’s build-up issues, Sofiane Diop admitted: “We can’t keep giving the ball away. We need to be smarter with our passing.”

This marked Nice’s sixth consecutive season without winning their opening match. Their next challenge comes Sunday, August 30, away at Paris FC.