Nîmes Olympique: the wheel finally seems to have turned for the Crocos who have collected ten points out of twelve since the start of the first leg

Entre Diallo et les Crocos et les Castelroussins, la bataille a longtemps été indécise. MAXPPP – SERGE VIALLE

À Châteauroux, où ils se sont imposés 1-0, les Crocos se sont montrés solides défensivement et chanceux. Ils ont redressé la barre mais ce renouveau demande encore confirmation.

What does it mean for the Crocos to be ninth at the end of the 21st day ? Solidity, obviously, since they recorded a fourth clean sheet in a row. A bit of success, too, which allows them to affirm their renewal a little more.

Saved twice by its crossbar at the end of the match (87th, 90th +3), Nîmes happily hit the jackpot, Friday February 16 in Châteauroux, with an own goal from Guyot, following a harmless cross from Axel Thoumin. "I am keen, at each start, to be decisive. It feels good to score this half-goal, reacted the former Mâconnais. It frees my mind and it makes me really happy because it gives the team victory."

The results of the 21st day and the ranking

The painful memory of the first leg erased

The Nîmes took advantage of the windfall, erasing at the same time the painful memory of the first leg, when La Berrichonne equalized on a penalty from Durbant in the 90th +11 (2-2), while the refereeing body had & nbsp;announced… six minutes of added time.
"I believe a lot in destiny. The proof is that we win with an own goal. The wheel has finally turned. I think that during the first leg, we would have been joined, breathes Nîmes coach Frédéric Bompard.

A defense that wins

Winning 1-0 is good, especially when we know that offensively, everything is not yet rosy. If Mathis Picouleau's goal against Avranches owed nothing to anyone, Baptiste Guyot's goal fell from the sky: "We can't hide it, we were successful. This does not detract from the overall performance of my team, which was consistent in a closed match,” continues the Crocodiles coach.

Apart from the last ten minutes, there were few moments to ignite, partly due to the solidity shown by the Gardois, who left only crumbs to their adversaries. And Tao Paradowski, author of five valuable saves and helped twice by his uprights, did the rest and kept his team afloat.

The Echoes of the Crocos

Supporters.In anticipation of the visit of Villefranche-en-Beaujolais next Friday to the Antonins, Bompard launched an appeal to the supporters: "There is no one in our stadium, in any case, not enough people. We need you, Nîmes supporters, help us beat this Villefranche team!"

Posts. Since the start of the season, Nîmes has hit the opposing posts six times, including the post which repelled Mbemba's attempt at Châteauroux. The Crocs, conversely, were saved a total of nine times by their amounts.

First. In Châteauroux, Nîmes Olympique finished the match without taking a card. This is the first time this has happened to him this season in the Championship.

Invincibility. It's been more than four and a half matches since Nîmes has not conceded a goal in the Championship. The last one dates back to the trip to Sochaux (17th day) and the penalty scored by Viltard just before half-time (43rd). Since the start of the season, the Crocos have kept a clean sheet eight times (5 times at home, 3 times away) for a record of 6 wins and 2 draws.

Rejoicing prospects

This victory, the second away from home of the season, offers encouraging prospects. Nîmes has moved into the first part of the table, certainly with only one point ahead of the red zone, but seven lengths ahead of its rival Berry: “I don’t know if it’s a big not towards maintenance. What I know is that we had a deficit in points and victories and that we are gradually making up for it,” notes Frédéric Bompard.

In 2024, the Crocs have changed their face

If it’s easier to talk about renewal with victories, it is obvious that, since the start of the year, this team has metamorphosed, with more ;rsquo;mutual aid, collective bond and self-sacrifice. A winning recipe today, but which requires confirmation every weekend.

"It’s a marathon. But we see that luck is now in our favor. We said things to each other during the truce, it is clear that we are reaping some fruits, says Waly Diouf.
For Thoumin, "the dynamics of the group and the confidence" since the recovery explain this new face.

Bompard, to analyze  this good period and the ten points taken in four matches, recalls "the benefit of the new players arriving and the new reorganization after having changed our rifle of & rsquo;shoulder".

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