Nîmes Olympique: against Agde, a festival of goals for the Crocos, winners 5 – 3

Particulièrement actif, le milieu offensif nîmois Marowane Khalid a inscrit un penalty. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

This Wednesday, July 31, in Saint-Gilles, there was a show, goals and a victory (5-3) for Nîmes against Agde (N3).

Unlike the friendly match that won (3-1) last Wednesday in Redessan against Istres (N2), where they were quickly surprised, the Crocos started their warm-up match against Agde (N3) this time rather well, this Wednesday in Saint-Gilles.

Indeed, after five big minutes and on the first opportunity for Nîmes, Iafrate, alone in the box and with his head, victoriously took El Hamri's left-footed free kick (1-0, 7th).

Nîmes opens the score and stays in the lead… three minutes

An advantage, however, of very short duration. The Agathois, whose first friendly match since their restart was played, caught up with Mazgouti, whose shot at the edge of the area left no chance for the Gard goalkeeper Dias, the ball lodging under the crossbar (1-1, 10th).

Two minutes later, this same Dias accompanied with his gaze a header from a Hérault player. Despite this slight scare in front of his goal, Nîmes controlled the debates.

For his first in the crocodile jersey, the center forward Abdeljelil first distinguished himself with a header, smashed and not powerful enough to worry the Agde goalkeeper Pappalardo (15th).

The crocodile striker Abdeljelil is lively and already decisive

On one of the following actions, found by Laurens in the area, Abdeljelil, with a goal-scoring instinct, armed his volley after a control, the ball heading towards the goal when El Hamri cut the trajectory, proving to be a finisher after a passer (2-1, 17th).

On the other side of the field, Dias was vigilant on a powerful strike from Agathois Mazarovic (22nd).

Not really time to get bored during this fifth NO preparation match, the match being as lively as it was prolific in goals. Following a breakthrough in the middle of the line by Khalid, tearing apart the Agde defence, the neo-pro served Abdeljelil who proposed a cross-call model.

The rest belongs to the former Cholet player, who proved to be skillful and deadly in his duel with Pappalardo and made the score worse, at the same time as he opened his goal tally with the ''red and white'' (3-1, 22nd).

Central defender Nkouka, on trial and a starter

Four days after their 1-2 defeat against Aubagne (N), the Nîmes team reacted well during this initial act and no doubt satisfied coach Adil Hermach, who was carefully scrutinizing the attitude of his players.

Little endangered, the crocodile rearguard, in which central defender Nkouka, on trial, was a starter, and left back Diallo, captain for the evening, in the first period.

TECHNICAL SHEET

NÎMES (N) : 5

AGDE (N3) : 3

Stade d’Espeyran, Saint-Gilles.

Half-time: 3-1.

Referee: M. Lungeri.

Goals for Nîmes : Iafrate (7th), El Hamri (17th) ), Abdeljelil (22nd), Khalid (54th on pen.), Beneddine (84th).

Goal for Agde: Mazgouti (10th), Sairafi (60th) on pen., 72nd).

NÎMES : Dias (Mace, 46th) – Iafrate (Labonne, 46th), Nkouka, Paviot (Iafrate, 71st), Diallo (cap.) (Beneddine, 71st) – Lemaangr, Delpech (Picouleau, 71st), Laurens – El Hamri (Daoudi, 71st), Abdeljelil (Camara, 46th), Khalid (Thoumin, 66th).

It was also from a defender, the right-back, Iafrate, replacing Sbaï, who was rested, that the danger was going to come. The former Alésien's cross on the line could not be taken up by Abdeljelil, who was a bit too short (35th).

A crowd that got its money's worth

From the restart, Hermach's men got off to a good start. From his left, El Hamri, on a corner, placed the ball on Laurens' head, who forced Agathois goalkeeper Benjamin Ligali to make a reflex save (47th).

The replacement for Pappalardo who, on the other hand, could do nothing about Khalid's penalty, following a breakthrough by Diallo in the area, stopped irregularly by Hérault defender Drame. The NO midfielder took the goalkeeper on the wrong foot (4-1, 54th).

This Wednesday, Saint-Gilles spectators will have gotten their money's worth. A new penalty, this time in favor of Agde, was whistled by referee Louis Lungeri, for a simultaneous foul by N’Kouka and Labonne, sandwiching Agathois Leroux. Sairafi wrong-footed Masse, who had replaced Dias at the break, and reduced the score (4-2, 60th).

The Crocs a little sluggish at the end

The goalkeeper of the crocodile reserve who, following a recovery error from Nkouka, avoided a new goal for his team by brushing with his fingertips a curling shot from the RCO attacker Dreyssayre, diverting it for a corner (68th).

At the dawn of the last twenty minutes, Hermach made four simultaneous changes. Chance or coincidence, in the following minute, the Crocos, poorly positioned, were caught on the counter and Sairafi scored twice (4-3, 72nd).

Nîmes who even played to scare each other in a sluggish end to the meeting on their part. On a seemingly innocuous cross from the right, Agathois striker Boumala, strangely free from any marking in the area, crossed his shot too far (80th).

Beneddine closes the score

Despite this, the 11th of the last National still managed to repel the danger of the RCO for good, even regaining its distance in the score following a breakthrough, on the left, from Beneddine who deceived Ligali on his first post and completed the croco success (5-3, 84th).