Mohamed Amoura gave Nice the cutting edge they had been missing at the Allianz Riviera, scoring his first goal for the club and creating another decisive moment in a 2-1 win over Lille. The Algeria international’s performance ended a long home wait and lifted the Gym off the foot of the Ligue 1 table.
The move
Amoura, 26, arrived at Nice on loan from Wolfsburg and was making only his third appearance for the club. Used on the left side of the attack, he repeatedly targeted Lille full-back Tiago Santos and made the difference with the outside of his right foot.
His first telling delivery forced Nathan Ngoy into an own goal after 22 minutes. Amoura then supplied Elye Wahi with another outside-of-the-boot cross, only for the forward to strike the left post on 31 minutes.
Nice had opportunities to increase their lead through new captain Axel Witsel and Wahi, while Amoura remained the main threat. His own first goal for the club arrived in the 67th minute: Gauthier Hein launched a counterattack with an outstanding outside-of-the-left-foot pass, and Amoura finished after Lille’s defensive structure had been opened too easily.
Coach Olivier Pantaloni and the Nice substitutes gave Amoura a warm reception when he was taken off in the 77th minute. The forward, who has 47 Algeria caps and 17 international goals, had made an immediate case for a central role in the side.
The French season around it
Nice had not won a Ligue 1 match at home for 326 days. Their previous Allianz Riviera league victory had also come against Lille, a 2-0 result on 29 October 2025.
Lille arrived with the chance to move to the top of Ligue 1 before the international break, but struggled to match Nice’s intensity. Their midfield and defensive lines were frequently separated, allowing the hosts to attack the spaces between them.
- Mohamed Amoura: one goal and a forced own goal in his first major Nice display.
- Yevhann Diouf: several important saves, including two from Ayase Ueda.
- Ayase Ueda: scored Lille’s late goal and remained their most persistent attacking outlet.
- Elye Wahi: hit the post and was denied again by Berke Özer.
- Ethan Mbappé: left the match injured in the 55th minute.
The evening began with a false alarm when Djibril Coulibaly’s early strike hit the side netting, while Wahi had two one-on-one attempts stopped by Berke Özer, although both moves were ruled offside. Lille responded sporadically, Basar Önal testing Diouf in the 15th minute before Ueda forced crucial saves in the 36th and 48th.
After Niels Nkounkou missed a major chance to make it 2-0 early in the second half, Lille coach Davide Ancelotti reacted to Mbappé’s injury by making a triple substitution in the 64th minute and reshaping his team into a 4-4-2.
It did not prevent Amoura’s goal, though Lille did find a route back when Ueda timed his run on the edge of offside to meet Maurits Kjærgaard’s pass in the 79th minute. Diouf stopped the Japanese striker from scoring again three minutes later, protecting a victory that moves Nice above Le Havre and leaves Lille unable to take first place.
