Mohamed Abdelmonem completes first full match since injury as Nice earn second Ligue 1 point

Nice were held to a 1-1 draw by Le Mans in the third round of Ligue 1, with Mohamed Abdelmonem completing the entire match for the French club.

The Egypt defender made his first full appearance of the current season and his first since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in his knee during the season before last.

Nice fell behind in the 13th minute when Adil Bourabia found the net for Le Mans. The visitors responded just before half-time, with Elye Wahi equalising in the 44th minute.

The result leaves Nice with two points from their opening three Ligue 1 matches this season. The club are still waiting for their first league victory of the campaign.

Abdelmonem’s return to playing a full match represents a significant personal milestone. It was his first 90-minute appearance in one year and seven months, with 577 days having passed since he last completed a game.

The match also marked his first full outing of the season after taking part in Nice’s previous fixtures. His return to a full workload comes after the lengthy rehabilitation required following his cruciate ligament injury.

Since joining Nice from Al Ahly in the season before last, Abdelmonem has now completed 15 matches for the French club. Across all competitions, he has made 21 appearances for Nice.

The defender’s full involvement against Le Mans was therefore both his latest appearance for the club and the first time since his injury that he had remained on the pitch for an entire match. His participation provided a notable individual landmark on a night when Nice had to settle for a point.

Nice’s equaliser arrived shortly before the interval, allowing the side to go into half-time level after Le Mans had taken an early lead. Neither team was able to find a winning goal in the second half.

The draw gave Nice their second point of the Ligue 1 campaign, while Le Mans secured a share of the points after Bourabia’s opening goal had put them ahead.

For Abdelmonem, the game provided a return to completing matches at senior club level after 577 days away from that achievement. It was also his 15th full match for Nice since moving to France from Al Ahly.