Braga dealt with the limited Nice threat early on and created the first real chance 13 minutes in, as Ricardo Horta linked up well with Pau Victor before firing low, but Kojo Peprah Oppong was well-positioned to make an important block.
The resulting corner was played short to Leonardo Lelo, whose cross was cushioned goalwards by Amine El Ouazzani, forcing Maxime Dupe into a smart stop. El Ouazzani put the home goalkeeper on high alert again soon after, but following a quick turn and hit, his shot went a whisker wide.
The goal that had been coming for the visitors arrived in the 28th minute, as the ball was worked to Victor Gomez on the right, and his low centre was left by El Ouazzani for Victor to sweep into the bottom corner.
That was the seventh goal in the last eight conceded by Les Aiglons to arrive before the hour mark, while the only time they threatened a goal of their own before half-time was when a looping Kevin header was tipped over by Lukas Hornicek 10 minutes before the break.
Franck Haise’s side had already lost three times to Portuguese opposition without scoring this season, and a fourth such loss would have looked likely had Vitor Carvalho been slightly more accurate with his long-range piledriver.
The scoreless run should have been put to bed, but Hornicek was exceptional, smothering a Kevin chance from six yards out and denying Isak Jansson just before the hour mark.
It just didn’t seem to be Nice’s night when Mohamed-Ali Cho latched onto an insightful ball forward but couldn’t sort his feet out when through on goal with 17 minutes left, though El Ouazzani sent a curling effort wide that kept the match alive heading into the latter stages.
However, Cho blazed the best late chance over the crossbar, leaving Nice seven points outside the top 24 and therefore eliminated with two matches to play. Meanwhile, it’s a fourth win in six league phase matches for Os Arcebispos, all of which have come with a clean sheet.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pau Victor (Braga)
