Olympique de Marseille overthrow AS Monaco and relaunch at the Vélodrome (2-1). Despite being dominant with the ball, OM were punished at the end of the first period by a lightning counterattack concluded by Aleksandar Golovin.
More incisive, the Phocaeans came back with better intentions in the second half. Luis Henrique equalized just before the hour mark. Marseille finally took the lead in the final from the penalty spot thanks to Mason Greenwood.
Geronimo Rulli once again demonstrated his knowledge of 1V1 by winning against Ben Seghir in the duel. On Golovin's goal, he is on the trajectory then blocked by Murillo.
In the second, his kamikaze exits saved three dangerous actions for Monaco. Another performance from a boss despite some blunders at the restart.
Michael Murillo could only see the damage on Golovin's goal, forced to cover two hares at once. The Panamanian international seemed lost in this role of hybrid defender in particular in his positioning. His loss of the ball in the 55th minute created a double opportunity for Monaco.
Murillo clearly does not seem compatible with De Zerbi in his approach to this very particular position. Oddly, it was as a full-back that he obtained the winning penalty.
Leonardo Balerdi was mystified by Balogun at the start of the match before the American striker made a mistake in the last gesture. Then the OM captain did not stand out against the young and old alike.
His sliding tackles were sometimes poorly understood, offering favorable counterattacks to opponents. His support was not precise enough, like his slip on Minamino's dangerous shot at the end of the match.
Geoffrey Kondogbia still has midfield reflexes. His missed exit on Akliouche allowed Balogun to create a good game situation. Then, on goal, the Central African international remained far too high on the pitch, unable to intervene in a counter situation.
Kondogbia brings calm to the restart and sometimes cold sweats when it comes to depth management.
Ulisses Garcia was rarely taken behind his back by Maghnes Akliouche. Up front, he produced a good cross in the first half then had two opportunities to open the scoring without hitting them on target.
Garcia is involved in the equalizing goal causing the foul by a still tense cross. He is involved, determined but limited by his lack of speed and right foot.
Valentin Rongier was no stranger to Marseille's great ball outings and territorial domination. The Marseille leader was hard-hitting with the ball to find the right offensive zones. He then ruined everything by being the author of the huge loss of ball allowing Monaco to open the scoring.
Apart from this blunder and another notable loss of ball, Rongier was very valuable in the midfield with the precision of his passes under pressure.
Adrien Rabiot was too difficult to find in the first half. The French international often tried to find himself in a good position on the left wing and in the heart of the game without success. Even when touched in the second half, the Blues' star midfielder did not improve much on the balls within his reach.
Rabiot was perhaps high up on the pitch to help his team with the ball more.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was once again the conductor with a little more waste than we know him to be. The Danish international saved his side in the 50th minute preventing Singo from scoring from a corner.
The Marseille playmaker took many more risks in the second, going after his opponent very high on the pitch. It was in these moments that Marseille regained control of the game.
Luis Henrique had a good first period, author of good accelerations in the opposing thirty meters and diligent defensive returns. The reward came in the second half where he was well placed to score from close range.
Henrique was an example of commitment and percussion for his team without the help of a full-back.
Neal Maupay had an opportunity to score a goal but failed to do so in the first period. The French striker was often physically taken by big guys behind in Monaco. To compensate for this deficit, he opted for mischief like the goal where his slight push was not punished. Still decisive this evening.
Mason Greenwood was the author of good crosses and a dangerous strike in the first half. However, the English winger also lost too many balls through complicated movements.
In the second half, Greenwood completely disappeared from the radar until the hour mark. His shot from the surface almost hit the top corner. We expect more from such a player in such a decisive match for his team.
Without trembling, he scored the winning penalty offering three precious points. Decisive but not incisive enough.
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