Canadians in Europe: Bombito plays full 90 in Nice return
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Moïse Bombito returned to action for Nice after a three-week layoff. Plus, it was a bittersweet win for Jayde Riviere and Manchester United and Jonathan David helped Lille secure a needed point in their Champions League chase. Here's a look at Canadians in Europe this past weekend.
Moïse Bombito, Nice
Sidelined with a broken wrist incurred during a 2-2 draw with Strasbourg on Apr. 12, Moïse Bombito returned to the Nice XI on Friday in a match against Reims. The match was an important one for Nice's Champions League hopes with Les Aiglons headed into the match buoyed by handing champions Paris Saint-Germain their first loss of the season on Apr. 25. A workhorse in central defence for Nice, Bombito's availability was a welcome one for manager Franck Haise. The match also had major implications for Reims, who are still in a relegation fight. The match was a low-scoring and cagey affair. The only goal of the match came in the 15th minute and it was won that Reims goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf would, perhaps, like back. Melvin Bard whipped a cross into the area from distance with a pair of Nice players in the area to make a play on it. Diouf came well off of his line to play it and clattered into his own defender, Joseph Okumu, who managed to head it directly into the path of Morgan Sanson. The former Aston Villa midfielder calmly volleyed the ball into an open net to make it 1-0. Bombito ended up playing the full 90 minutes. He completed 56 of 59 passes, made one tackle, one interception, two blocks and recorded 86 touches. The three points vaulted Nice into the final Champions League spot with two matches remaining. But as comfortable as Bombito looked back on the pitch, there's still a real chance that the Montreal native doesn't suit up for Canada at this summer's Gold Cup. His agent, Nick Mavromaras, confirmed to TSN's Matthew Scianitti last week that Bombito is still set to undergo surgery on his injured wrist at the end of the season. There is one month between Nice's final match on May 17 and Canada's opener against Honduras on June 17.
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Jonathan David, Lille
We stay in Ligue 1 with Jonathan David and Lille, who find themselves in the exact same scenario as Bombito and Nice as they look to punch their ticket to Champions League football next season. In a clash of top-of-the-table sides, Les Dogues played host to Marseille on Sunday. Ajax, Ont.'s Derek Cornelius was an unused substitute for Roberto De Zerbi's side, who still haven't secured Champions League themselves. With much on the line, neither team wanted to make a mistake. The visitors should, perhaps, have been ahead in the 44th. A fine ball from Mason Greenwood played Michael Amir Murrillo in alone on Lucas Chevalier, but the LOSC 'keeper did well to cut the angle and turn away the shot from the Panama right-back. As the second half began it was the visitors who were on the front foot and they were rewarded for their effort in the 57th. Played in behind the Lille backline, Adrien Rabiot did well to square for Amine Gouiri to slot past Chevalier to make it 1-0. But Lille found an equalizer in the 74th, thanks in large part to an absolutely horrible error from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli. Put under pressure by Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Rulli's attempted clearance was headed down by Jonathan David only about 10 yards from goal. He quickly passed over to Fernandez-Pardo to turn and fire through the wickets of the panicked Rulli to make it 1-1. It was David's fifth league assist on the season, setting a new career-high in Ligue 1. The match finished as a 1-1 draw and the result didn't really do any favours for either side. Marseille remains in the more advantageous position, second in the table on 59 points. They are clear of third-place Monaco by one point and two clear of Nice and Lille. Lille's draw coupled with Nice's victory mean that Nice moves into fourth on a +4 goal differential. Sixth-place Strasbourg also sits on 57 points, three goals fewer than Les Dogues and seven behind Nice. With two matchdays remaining on the season, so much is left to play for in France.
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Jayde Riviere, Manchester United
It was a bittersweet afternoon for Pickering, Ont.'s Jayde Riviere in the penultimate matchday in the Women's Super League calendar on Sunday at Old Trafford as she and Manchester United hosted Manchester City in another important derby. With two matches left to play, the Red Devils held a four-point lead over City for the final Champions League place. United knew that a point was enough to secure a spot in Europe's top club competition next season. Riviere was handed her 17th start of the season, but it wouldn't last for even a half-hour. Riviere was taken off in the 28th minute after incurring what appeared to be an ankle injury. Unable to continue, she was replaced by Aoife Mannion. Twenty minutes later, City was on the board. Lauren Hemp found Laia Aleixandri on the edge of the area. The Spain centre-back danced into the area, around the challenge of Hinata Miyazawa, to unleash a fine shot past Phallon Tullis-Joyce to make it 1-0 in the 38th. It was her first Super League goal of the season. City wasn't finished. Four minutes later, Yui Hasegawa's corner was thumped home by a Rebecca Knaak header and it was 2-0 in the 42nd with the hosts beginning to reel. But United would pull one back before the break. Mannion sent in a sublime curling cross to the far post for Grace Clinton to head past Khiara Keating at the 45-minute mark to make it 2-1. With a great deal of stoppage to be played, Mannion would go on to pick up a booking in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage. That would become important in the second half. In the 68th, United would pull even. A looping cross from Mannion was headed down by Elisabeth Terland into the path of substitute Melvine Malard, who tucked her finish around the oncoming Keating to make it 2-2. From the restart, Mannion struggled mightily with the pace of Kerolin and ended up bringing the Brazil forward to ground with a sloppy challenge. The referee had no choice but to produce a second yellow and send the Ireland defender off in the 69th. Under the gun for the final 20 minutes, United was able to hold off City for the rest of the match to claim the single point needed in a 2-2 draw and earn Champions League football.