Nîmes Olympique: facing Aimargues, the Crocos, winners 4-1, took their time

Selmane El Hamri (en bleu) et les Nîmois ont créé la décision en seconde période. MIDI LIBRE – MIKAËL ANISSET

Between Aimargues (Regional 1) and Nîmes Olympique (National), everything was decided after the break. The Crocos made the difference (4-1) against a SOA that has no regrets.

''Come on, guys. There's room, we believe in it…'&#39 The central referee has just whistled the half-time between Aimargues and Nîmes Olympique and the speaker of the Aimargues stadium pushes and supports the SOA players, in his own way.

At this moment, at the end of a fairly pleasant first 45 minutes, despite the rain that has invited itself, the resident of Regional 2, in fact, holds firm against the pros of Nîmes Olympique, National and four divisions above, joining the locker rooms back to back (1-1).

A first period where Nîmes had possession, but neither team had any very clear and dangerous actions or situations. In this match, everything was going to accelerate in the space of two minutes, between the 38th and 40th, with a story of penalties to write the scenario.

Finelli responds to Khalid on penalty

Following a handball by the right axial Antech on a cross from Nîmes' Laurens, Khalid took the SOA goalkeeper Drujon on the wrong foot and put NO in front, taking Drujon on the wrong foot (0-1, 38th).

But the Crocos' joy was to be very short-lived. On the restart, while the ball had returned to Nîmes' feet, Sbaï put Iafrate in difficulty, overtaken by Belhomme, who would be Finelli in the area.

The left piston erased the captain of NO Mendy, who hooked it, which led to a penalty. Sentence converted by Finelli (already 4 goals in R2) who took justice into his own hands, deceiving Dias (1-1, 40th).

After the quarter of an hour of the break, it was back to normal. The speaker-supporter of the day, put another layer on the return of the twenty-two players on the magnificent Aimarguois synthetic pitch. ''Come on guys, we believe in it. They're cooked. !''

Midfielder Lemaangr, this ''serial scorer''

While it is true that Adil Hermach's men were a little sluggish and lacking in imagination during the opening act, they still had a bit of energy left in their boots. And, in these times, a match by a NO team would not really be a match without a goal… Lemaangr.

Already prolific with the reserve team, in Regional 1 (4 goals in the championship), the crocodile midfielder, already one of the most prominent (with El Hamri) in the first half, this Saturday, distinguished himself again, arriving launched and forgotten in the marking by the SOA defense in the area. On a cross from Osei, from the right, the ''serial scorer' crocodile took the leather with his right and deceived Drujon (1-2, 57th).

From then on, it became more and more difficult for the SOA players who were logically subjected to the opposing domination. Alone, on a few counterattacks, led by the attacking duo Finelli – Belhomme, Aimargues brought danger to the NO rearguard. Too little, however.

And Nîmes accelerated…

Opposite, Mendy's teammates accelerated. The substitutes, notably Amara, particularly on his legs, brought danger. After a floating shot that found Drujon's post (71st), Amara scored his first goal in his new colours, his low shot, blocked by Aimargues centre Nicolas Gely, lobbed Drujon (1-3, 77th).

Another substitute, Bouaoune, made the score worse a few minutes later, heading in a cross from Camara's right (1-, 4, 83rd). In added time, Amara again found Drujon's right post, who had pushed his attempt away (90th + 1).

This Saturday, SOA believed in it for a period, the first, before giving in, fairly, to a largely reworked Nîmes team, of which only one regular starter in National, captain Mendy, was present in the eleven at kick-off. The Crocodiles ended up making the hierarchy respected. Implacable.

TECHNICAL SHEET

AIMARGUES (R2) : 1

NÎMES OLYMPIQUE (N) : 4

Stadium René-Dupont.

Half-time: 1-1.

Referee: Gaëtan Martin.

Spectators: Approximately 1,300.

Goals for Aimargues: Finelli (40th on pen.).

Goals for Nîmes: Khalid (38th on pen.), Lemaangr (57th), Amara (77th), Bouaoune (83rd).

A vertissement in Aimargues : Belhomme (47th), Cayuela (76th).

AIMARGUES : Drujon – Antech, N. Gely, Simon (cap. ) – Saura (Poirier, 73rd), Lauret (Cayuela, 62nd), Carion (E. Gély, 80th), Vors (Khyi, 73rd), Mabillon – Belhomme, Finelli.

NÎMES : Dias – Sbaï, Iafrate, Mendy (cap.) (Diouf, 83rd), Laurens – El Hamri (Amara, 61st), Lemaangr, Akkal, Khalid (Bouaoune, 61st) – Badu, Osei (Camara, 61st).