Axel Tuanzebe goal sees Ipswich Town beat OGC Nice 1-0 to end pre-season on a high ahead of Liverpool opener
A second-half goal from Axel Tuanzebe proved to be enough for Ipswich Town to sign off their pre-season campaign with a home win over Ligue 1 side OGC Nice ahead of their Premier League opener with Liverpool next weekend.
The former Manchester United defender fired powerfully home from close-range following a Leif Davis corner breaking loose in the 58th minute during what was a fairly even affair that saw both sides have their moments but with the Blues edging the second period.
Nice, who will play in the Europa League in the upcoming season under new manager Franck Haise, went closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, Mohamed-Ali Cho seeing his 45th minute penalty come back off the post.
Town were also denied by the frame of the goal as they looked for the opener in the second half, substitute Freddie Ladapo seeing his angled effort come back off the upright before Marcus Harness’ follow-up was somehow saved.
There was a surprise when the team-sheet dropped as Kieran McKenna included Columbian international midfielder Steven Alzate among 15 substitutes, following his release from Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
The London-born 25-year-old had spent the past two seasons out on loan at Belgian club Standard Liege and left the Seagulls after making 43 appearances after joining from Leyton Orient. But the player with seven international caps for Columbia did not feature until starting a 30-minute training match which concluded the day’s action, Town losing out 1-0 in that one.
Janoi Donacien was also among the subs, having been training with Town as he works his way back from injury, having seen his contract expire and he likewise started the additional post-match outing which supporters inside Portman Road were allowed to stay in for.
McKenna made four changes from the side that started the 1-0 win against Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in Austria last weekend with Axel Tuanzebe, George Edmundson, Cameron Burgess and Massimo Luongo replacing Luke Woolfenden, Jacob Greaves, Jack Taylor and Conor Chaplin.
It meant a move to a wing-backs system, utilising summer signing Johnson and Davis out wide, in a 3-4-2-1 set-up with Marucs Harness and Omari Hutchinson behind new striker Liam Delap.
Town flew out of the blocks with captain Sam Morsy seeing a second-time shot deflected over off boot of Pablo Rosario inside the first minute. A deep cross following the corner almost saw Burgess connect at the far post.
Continuing on the front foot, Liam Delap sprang on a misplaced backpass, but after trying his luck from an acute angle saw keeper Marcin Bulka claim it at his near post.
Nice soon began to exert their own pressure and Burgess had to block out Mohamed-Ali Cho’s cross-cum-shot at near post.
The home side began to get into their passing rhythm again and Nice captain Dante’s header ricocheted off Delap and went wide from Johnson’s whipped cross after a promising passage of play that had seen Omari Hutchinson find the spare man out wide.
The French side were forced into an early change in the 20th minute as the injured Jeremie Boga was replaced by Badredine Bouanani.
A sliding challenge by Morsy saw him concede a free kick in a dangerous spot just inside the penalty box ‘D’ but Cho fired it straight into the wall.
Up the other end Morsy tried his luck from 30 yards with his effort deflecting wide before Luongo saw a fierce shot blocked following the subsequent corner.
Soon after, in the 34th minute, the Blues registered their first real effort on target, but Johnson’s low effort from outside the box was straight at Bulka to comfortably claim.
But he soon had to work harder to keep the hosts out, parrying away Delap’s shot after he burst through from Hutchinson’s through-ball.
There was a hairy moment for Town in the 42nd minute when Edmundson connected to a left-wing cross and sent it goalward, but Aro Muric was alert to it.
With a minute to go until half-time, the visitors were given the perfect opportunity to take the lead when Edmundson’s pass was intercepted which led to Guessand playing his way into the box only for Tuanzebe to bring him down running across his heels.
However, with Muric diving the right way, Cho saw his penalty fly back out to the corner flag after striking the right-hand post.
It was the last notable action of a fairly even half which had seen some neat passages from Town but having only been able to draw Bulka into one meaningful save as they struggled to break down the compact defensive line.
Nice played their way dangerously into the Town box within a minute of the re-start but Leif Davis executed a perfect sliding challenge on Cho.
Muric was beaten in the 48th minute by a Jonathan Clauss drilled shot from inside the area following a left-wing cross, but Edmundson was on hand to clear it off the line at the far post.
But it was Town who went on to break the deadlock in the 58th minute when Nice were unable to clear a Davis corner and Tuazebe smashed the loose ball into the roof of the net from just outside the six-yard box.
It was a lead that was almost doubled four minutes later, but Delap was flagged offside, following an eye-catching passage of quick passing, before chipping the ball into the net.
McKenna rang the changes in the 64th minute, throwing on seven substitutes with Greaves, Woolfenden, Conor Townsend, Taylor, Burns, Chaplin and Freddie Ladapo all coming on. Davis, Burgess, Tuanzebe, Edmundson, Luongo, Hutchinson and Delap were all clapped off.
Muric had to be alert to a dangerous low cross-cum-shot from left-back Tom Louchet after play restarted, saving it on the line at his near post.
Chaplin was soon causing a threat, playing a nice one-two with Ladapo on the edge of the box before seeing a fierce strike deflected away.
In the 74th minute Town were denied by the woodwork and a fine follow-up save as Harness put Ladapo away before his shot across goal came back off the left-hand post ahead of Harness’ close-range effort seeing Bulka spring back across to block it.
It was Harness’ last action as a couple of minutes later he was replaced by the returning Ali Al-Hamadi, who underwent surgery on his abductor over the off-season.
Townsend burst down the left on a promising breakaway but could not find anyone with his cross to the far post while Nice also soon created another chance when Clauss was found by a left-wing delivery that he fired some way wide.
Town were coming under some late pressure with Burgess deflecting a close-range shot over the bar while further probing failed to bring a meaningful further effort at Muric’s goal as the hosts signed off pre-season with a victory.
After leaving the field, the players and management teams soon emerged back out of the tunnel for what ended up being a 30-minute additional training match, having originally been broadcast over the PA to fans as 45 minutes.
It was requested by McKenna to give additional minutes to members of his squad, but the main interest from a low number who did end up remaining in their seats, was in the appearance of trialist Alzate in the heart of the midfield.
He had a number of neat touches on the ball in a game which, in a reverse of the 90-minute fixture, saw Town lose out 1-0, with Viktor Orakpo heading home at the near post three minutes in.
Al-Hamadi went close to levelled for Town, drawing a save, while also dragging another presentable effort well wide, while summer signing Greaves made some notable interceptions.
• Read what Kieran McKenna said about the 1-0 victory and the latest on transfers and George Hirst’s injury
• Read the thoughts of Marcus Harness on how the squad is feeling ahead of the Premier League kick-off
Ipswich: Muric, Davis (Townsend 64’), Edmundson (Woolfenden 64’), Morsy (cpt), Delap, Harness (Al-Hamadi 64’), Burgess (Greaves 64’), Johnson, Hutchinson (Chaplin 64’), Luongo (Taylor 64’), Tuanzebe (Burns 64’).
Unused subs: Walton (gk), Slicker (gk), Carr, Foyo, Ayinde, Alzate, Donacien.
OGC Nice: Bulka, Dante (cpt), Boga (Bouanani 20’), Rosario, Sanson (Ndombele 70’), Louchet (Bard 70’), Cho (Laborde 70’), Boudaoui, Guessand, Mendy (Orakpo 83’), Clauss.
Unused subs: Dupe, Boulhendi, Brahimi, Camara, Traore, Salhi, Doumbouya.
