Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Stade Rennes v OGC Nice - Roazhon Park, Rennes, France - January 13, 2024 OGC Nice's Evann Guessand in action with Stade Rennes' Warmed Omari REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File photo
(Reuters) - Second-placed Nice earned a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Metz in Ligue 1 on Saturday thanks to a second-half penalty from Evann Guessand.
The hosts were awarded a spot-kick after Metz defender Fali Cande fouled Guessand in the 77th minute and the Nice striker kept his cool to find the bottom corner of the net.
Nice moved five points behind leaders Paris St Germain, who play third-placed Brest on Sunday.
Metz had an early scare when their goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja fouled Guessand, causing the referee to award a penalty, but the decision was overturned by VAR due to an earlier offside.
Despite relentless pressure, a diving header from Khephren Thuram was the closest Nice came to scoring in the first half, but Oukidja pushed the attempt away.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
