Yesterday evening, the closing clash of the 13th day of Ligue 1 was to give us a small indication of the identity of the real runner-up for Paris Saint-Germain with a clash between Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco. A major duel in which the Phocaeans showed character. After conceding the opener on a goal from Aleksandr Golovine just before the break (41st, 1-0), Valentin Rongier's teammates turned things around in the second half. First by equalizing through Luis Enrique (53rd, 1-1), then by taking the lead at the very end of the match with a penalty converted by the inevitable Mason Greenwood (89th, 1-0). In the standings, OM are back in front of their direct opponent on goal difference.
OM continues
Enough to confirm more than ever that the Olympian club was playing in the big leagues. Since the start of the exercise, Roberto de Zerbi's men have won against Olympique Lyonnais, OGC Nice, RC Lens and yesterday AS Monaco. The Marseillais have simply won four of their five matches against the teams in the current Top 7 of the championship. Only Paris Saint-Germain, an easy 3-0 winner at the Stade Vélodrome, was able to win. Yesterday, after the shock, the Italian technician praised the performance of his team by talking about an unblocking at the Vélodrome: “I hope that this is the start of an important story at the Vélodrome. It was a shame that we did not succeed to express ourselves at home. We had a mental block, which didn't allow us to play calmly and lucidly. There was a fear of doing badly and it's difficult to play like that. I “I think we weren't ourselves,” he explained, before adding a layer on the pressure of playing at home.
“There was a big difference with the last home matches (…). Marseille is a different sport than other cities. It was a shame not to be able to break free. I felt sad. happiness to see my players express their qualities. I am attached to my players. It saddened me not to see them performing to 100% of their abilities,” he added. The message is clear.
Featured Podcasts
MEN LIFE
To summarize
By bringing down AS Monaco yesterday at the Vélodrome, Roberto de Zerbi proved that his Olympique de Marseille was no longer afraid of the big guys. Indeed, the Phocéens have won 4 of their 5 matches against the teams in the current Top 7.
