After Vaclav Cerny opened the scoring, Mohamed Diomande doubled the advantage before Hamza Igamane found the target on his first European start for the club as the away side went in at the break three goals to the good.
The Gers threatened to go further ahead throughout the second half as the Moroccan striker then found the net for the second time on the evening as Badredine Bouanani’s free-kick saw the home side find a consolation goal late with the Light Blues going on to take a big step towards qualification for the knockout stages with the win.
Manager Philippe Clement named one change to his side from the weekend’s match, with Hamza Igamane making his first European start for the club in place of frontman Cyriel Dessers.
The Gers looked for a fast start in France and a positive result on the evening to take them closer to qualification from the league phase. Inside the opening two minutes, Hamza Igamane did well to hold up the ball and bring Vaclav Cerny into play. A break of the ball fell in favour of the Czech Republic international, but his effort from the angle flew off target.
Nice tried to grow into the game in the opening exchanges themselves and went close through an effort from Badredine Bouanani. The attacker picked the ball up on the edge of the area and looked to place one into the top corner on his left side, but it flashed just wide of the mark.
The game came to life in the next phase of play as the hosts were initially awarded a spot kick before VAR intervened to overturn the decision. Jack Butland made a fine save from close range before defender John Souttar reacted superbly to make a vital block to deny Youssoufa Moukoko from opening the scoring with the referee pointing to the spot before changing his mind on the decision.
Rangers then had a massive opportunity to open the scoring but failed to make the most of a counter-attack chance. Winning the ball in midfield Nedim Bajrami drove his team forward as the Gers created an overload, with Igamane to his left and Cerny to his right he opted for the former but the striker had the opening taken away from him after cutting inside before the defender got round on the cover.
The away side looked to build and take confidence from creating some early openings. Jefte it was this time, carrying the ball a long way from left-back as he rode several challenges, but his right-footed shot from the edge of the area was just off target and he couldn’t test Marcin Bulka between the posts.
Beyond the 30-minute mark, the game settled into few clear chances. The hosts were remaining patient in possession whilst Rangers looked to cause their biggest threats on changeovers in the final third and counter-attack openings.
In the next phase of play, however, it was the Gers that found the opening goal through Vaclav Cerny. Forward Igamane did well to keep a cross alive as he reacted first to lay off the winger, he tried his luck at goal and via the aid of a double deflection, it wrong-footed Bulka and found the back of the net to fire Rangers ahead.
Soon after it quickly became two as the Light Blues took the initiative in the contest. A clipped through ball over the top of the defence from Dujon Sterling was left by Pablo Rosario as he thought there was enough pace on the ball to carry it through to the goalkeeper. Mohamed Diomande reacted first and turned the ball into the goal looping it over Bulka to double the Rangers advantage.
Nice looked to respond to conceding two goals in three minutes as they created a chance for themselves. A delivery from the right side was met by the head of Gaetan Laborde from close range, but he was denied by goalkeeper Jack Butland who stopped the midfielder from halving the deficit.
The Gers put themselves in a brilliant half-time position as Hamza Igamane found the back of the net on his first European start. A back pass was short towards Bulka as the Moroccan latched onto it, he had the goal at his mercy and all the time to pick his spot as he composed himself and found the back of the net to make it three in a strong first half showing from Clement’s men.
Nice looked to get themselves some way back into the game by coming out of the traps at the beginning of the second period. Breaking through the middle Sterling did well to divert the initial opportunity before Laborde tested Butland with an effort he had to turn round the post. From the following corner, half-time substitute Tanguy Ndombele tried his luck having found space on the edge of the area, but his shot flew over the top of the bar.
Hicham Boudadoui was next to test Butland with an effort from outside the area as the hosts probed seven minutes after the restart. The midfielder found space and caught his strike well, but again the shot stopper was level to it.
At the other end, the Gers were in dreamland as Hamza Igamane was on hand to roll home his second of the evening with a well-taken goal. He managed to wriggle away out of the challenge of Paulo Rosario, he composed himself and expertly finished it beyond Bulka into the back of the net to add a fourth.
The Light Blues were playing with real confidence as they threatened to stretch their lead further. Captain James Tavernier, who was introduced as a substitute combined with Connor Barron as the midfielder fired a ball across which just evaded the sliding Igamane before full-back Jefte had a shot saved on the follow-up in the next phase of play.
After a period of the game with few changes, Nice did get themselves on the scoresheet on the night with a moment of set-piece quality. A free-kick chance presented itself outside the area as Bouanani curled the ball left-footed expertly into the top corner with a goal of sheer quality to fire in a consolation goal.
OGC NICE: Bulka, Abdelmonem, Boudaoui, Rosario, Moukoko (Cho 70), Bouanani, Louchet, Laborde, Bard (Ndombele 45), Camara, Ndayishimye (Nandjou 19)
SUBS: Dupe, Boulhendi, Cho, Guessand, Bousnina, Everton, Salhi, Monterio
RANGERS: Butland, Sterling (Tavernier 62), Souttar, Propper, Jefte, Raskin, Barron, Diomande (Ridvan 70) , Cerny (McCausland 62), Bajrami (Rice 79), Igamane (Dessers 70)
SUBS: Kelly, Dowell, Balogun, King, Fraser, McKinnon, Curtis