Twente throw away 0-2 lead against OGC Nice in the UEFA Europa League

FC Twente dropped valuable points in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. The Enschede club had a comfortable 0-2 lead after an hour played away to OGC Nice, who are currently fifth in the French league. But the home side came back to 2-2.

The equalizer came in the 88th minute when Twente had a man more on the pitch because of a straight card for Sofiane Diop. Twente defender Bart van Rooij was also sent off for two yellows near the end of the match.

FC Twente had drawn 1-1 with Manchester United, 1-1 with Fenerbahce, and lost 0-2 to Lazio in their earlier matches in the competition. Joseph Oosting’s team is still yet to play Union, Olympiakos Piraeus, Malmö FF, and Besiktas. The team has to finish among the first 24 teams to advance to the playoff round.

Oosting’s team took the initiative early even though they were without suspended goalkeeper Lars Unnerstal and their top scorer, Sem Steijn, who was ill. Daan Rots gave the away team the lead in the eighth minute. Captain Youri Regeer put the ball back with his back to the goal, and Rots hit the ball in the far corner to make it 0-1.

Przemyslaw Tyton, Unnerstall's replacement, distinguished himself shortly before half-time. The 37-year-old Pole stopped Diop's close-range effort with his right foot.

Twente took control of the game after the break. Sam Lammers should have scored in the 49th minute, but the Nice goalkeeper made a good save to stop him. They came close again ten minutes later when substitute Michel Vlap hit the post with a shot from distance in the 59th minute.

However, the second Twente goal came straight after this. Lammers played the ball through Youssouf Ndayishimiye's legs and surprised goalkeeper Marcin Bulka in the short corner (0-2).

Twente looked like they were on their way to a victory, but a lovely goal scored by the recently subbed on Jeremie Boga reduced the deficit halfway into the second half.

The French team was dealt a blow with Diop’s sending-off. And yet the team still equalized with ten men. Mohamed-Ali Cho, also a substitute for Nice, put the ball into the goal after a cross from the right in the 88th minute. Shortly afterward, Van Rooij also had to leave the field with a red card.

This was the last goal of the match as it finished 2-2.