Recap: Théo Sainte-Luce Scores Late as MHSC Draws vs. Nice

Montpellier Hérault SC snatched a point thanks to a late goal for a 2-2 draw against OGC Nice on Sunday at Stade de la Mosson.

After a challenging loss in the UEFA Europa League this week, Nice needed a bounce-back performance and they opened the scoring early in the 17th minute thanks to a goal from Gaëtan Laborde.

The 30-year-old fired a stunning left-footed shot from outside the box into the top right corner, capitalizing on a quick break set up by Evann Guessand. Despite conceding the early goal, Montpellier did respond quickly.

In the 22nd minute, Joris Chotard brought the home side level with a well-placed header from the center of the box into the top right corner, set up by a pinpoint cross from Jordan Ferri.

After conceding the game-tying goal, Nice also responded quickly to regain their one-goal advantage. In the 28th minute, Badredine Bouanani scored his second straight Ligue 1 McDonald's match after scoring last weekend against Le Havre.

The 20-year-old scored on a left-footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner off an assist by Pablo Rosario to make the scoreline 2-1. The contest went into halftime with Nice holding a 2-1 lead and the match would stay that way for most of the second half.

Nice were minutes away from leaving with all three points, but Montpellier found the back of the net late in the game. In the 80th minute, Théo Sainte-Luce found the back of the net with a precise left-footed strike from the left side of the six-yard box, finishing off a quick break set up by Musa Al-Taamari's assist.

The contest would end 2-2 as the two sides left with a point for their last Ligue 1 McDonald's match of 2024. The result does put Nice back in the UEFA Europa Conference League position while Montpellier remain in the direct relegation spots.

After the match, Sainte-Luce spoke with Montpellier's media team to share his thoughts on the group's impressive comeback to secure a draw.

"It feels good. As I was saying earlier, I’ve been through some tough challenges and hard times. So, being rewarded like this definitely feels good... When we manage to light up the attack, we can feel the fans pushing us, and that’s exactly what we need to go for the points. It’s what we want when we’re playing at home. So, at the end of the match, the crowd really helped us. They were like the 12th man."

The Stat: Are Montpellier Turning the Corner?

Montpellier are in a relegation battle heading into 2025 and will need points to remain in Ligue 1 McDonald's next season. Despite being at the bottom of the table, La Paillade have five points from his last five games after taking four points from his first ten games this season.

Montpellier have turned things around after a tough start to the season and now head into the new year with positive momentum. They trail Angers SCO by just four points as they look to climb out of the relegation zone.

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