Ipswich Town 1-0 Nice: Pre-season friendly report

Axel Tuanzebe scored in the 58th minute, firing high into the net from a scrambled corner situation, as the Blues concluded their preparations for next Saturday’s Premier League opener against Liverpool on Suffolk soil. 

Nice, who will play in the Europa League this season, saw a penalty saved at the end of the first half and a shot cleared off the line soon after the restart. 

Town generally looked solid though and were able to find a winner from a dead ball situation.

Sam Morsy tries his luck from outside the box. (Image: Steve Waller)

Town went into this game with a shortage of attacking players due to George Hirst (knee) and Nathan Broadhead (hamstring) being injured. 

With that in mind (and probably the need to be more solid in the Premier League), Blues boss Kieran McKenna deployed a 3-4-2-1 system. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis operated as wing-backs, with Omari Hutchinson and Marcus Harness in behind lone striker Liam Delap. 

Ipswich started brightly. Inside the opening minute, a good ball up the line from Cameron Burgess and driving run inside from Delap led to two Sam Morsy long-range efforts being blocked in quick succession. 

As the half wore on, it was clear that something Town have been working on is keeper Aro Muric, confident with the ball at his feet, flighting passes over the top for powerful striker Liam Delap to run on to. One such move led to Delap expertly controlling the ball on his chest and then almost getting on the end of Johnson’s subsequent sweeping cross from the right. 

Ben Johnson bends in a cross from the right. (Image: Steve Waller)

Nice, a team preparing for Europa League football this season, showed some bright moments on the ball. They were unfortunate to see a golden counter-attack opportunity cut short when midfielder Jeremie Boga pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 18th minute. 

Town had some good spells of possession, but couldn’t quite find a way through in the final third and were restricted to a series of long-range efforts. 

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Nice had a golden chance to take the lead in the final minute of the half. George Edmundson’s loose pass out the back was intercepted and, after a sharp one-two, Tuanzebe ran across the heels of Evann Guessand in the box to concede a penalty. Mohamed-Ali Cho’s spot-kick beat the dive of Aro Muric but came back off the inside of the right post. 

The French visitors started the second half on the front foot. A cross from the left landed at the feet of Jonathan Clauss down the right side of the box, his low drilled effort beat Muric but Edmundson was there to block on the line. 

Liam Delap lets fly after a driving run. (Image: Steve Waller)

Ipswich responded well, with Hutchinson and Delap both having some lively moments in the final third. A spell of growing pressure ended with a high Leif Davis inswinging corner glancing off Edmundson, falling loose and being smashed high into the net by Tuanzebe. 

McKenna made seven changes just after the hour, reverting to his traditional 4-2-3-1 system.  

Freddie Ladapo teed up fellow sub Conor Chaplin for a thunderous shot that was well-blocked. The lively Ladapo then burst clear and hit the inside of the post with a low shot, with keeper Marcin Bulka recovering well to deny Harness from the rebound. 

Conor Townsend charged awau up the left in the 80th minute but couldn’t quite pick out Wes Burns with a sweeping cross when Chaplin was screaming for a cut back. 

Nice tried to find an equaliser in the closing moments, but Town stood firm for a hard-earned clean sheet and victory. 

A 30-minute training exercise followed, with midfielder Steven Alzate featuring on trial. The Colombian international was recently released by Brighton. 

IPSWICH TOWN (3-4-2-1): Muric; Tuanzebe (Woolfenden 64), Edmundson (Taylor 64), Burgess (Greaves 64); Johnson, Morsy (cpt), Luongo (Chaplin 64), Davis (Townsend 64); Hutchinson (Burns 64), Harness (Al-Hamadi 77); Delap (Ladapo 64). 

NICE (3-1-5-1): Bulka; Mendy (Orakpo 85), Rosario, Dante (cpt); Boudaoui; Clauss, Cho (Laborde 73), Sanson (Ndombele 73), Boga (Bouanani 21), Louchet (Bard 73); Guessand.