The idyllic start to the season for Olympique de Marseille had a first stop in Strasbourg (1-0), where the Olympians, despite the debut of Adrien Rabiot, performed disappointingly on Sunday during the sixth day of the League 1.
Because of this hitch, the Marseillais (third, thirteen points) let Paris Saint-Germain (first) and Monaco (second) take three steps ahead at the end of this championship weekend, while Strasbourg ( eighth) gains two places.
The Marseille club came to the Stade de la Meinau without the enthusiasm, the De Zerbi madness which accompanied its first weeks on the national scene, and allowed it to beat Lyon (3-2) despite a match played almost in its entirety at ten to eleven. Dominated in the first half, he was unable to rebel sufficiently in the second to reverse the course of the match.
Overthrown in Lyon (4-3) and joined in Lille (3-3) while leading 3-1 each time, the Strasbourg youth are progressing: this time they were able to be more mature and solid to hold on to their victory.
“It’s a learning process for the players throughout the season,” commented coach Liam Rosenior. “It’s a natural progression for them. We’re talking about the lost match in Lyon or the draw in Lille, but you have to go through pain to improve. My players play without fear and show character, I love that.”
– First Strasbourg reference period –
This success, the British players acquired during a first act which they clearly dominated in the visual impression and in the number of shots (six to three, four on target to one), when the Marseillais were mere spectators despite possession of the ball (59%).
Dilane Bakwa lit the first two fuses (9th, 15th) but lacked the skill to deceive the vigilance of Géronimo Rulli, during a first quarter of an hour played almost without atmosphere.
As since the start of the season, the Strasbourg ultras remained silent during the first fifteen minutes to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the owner BlueCo, whose departure they hope. Banners “For an independent, popular and different Racing” or “BlueCoOut!” were brandished, witnesses to their disenchantment with the consortium which also owns Chelsea.
On the pitch, that did not prevent Strasbourg from continuing to dominate. Elegant Swede Sebastian Nanasi overshot his shot after playing past Pierre-Émile Hojbjerg, who replaced the suspended Leonardo Balerdi as both center back and captain.
It was then Emanuel Emegha, not incisive enough, who lost his duel with Géronimo Rulli (33rd). Racing’s pressure was finally rewarded shortly before half-time when Diego Moreira opened the scoring with a cross shot between the legs of Rulli (40th) after a cool ball from the Strasbourg block from his own half.
– The beginnings of Rabiot –
After a first period where we had to wait until the 32nd minute to see a timid and off-target Marseille strike from Luis Henrique, the Olympians further shook up their opponents thereafter, notably thanks to the entry into play of ‘Adrien Rabiot and Neal Maupay.
For his first seconds played under his new colors, Rabiot gave a nice pass to Maupay, which would have been decisive if Dorde Petrovic had not made a crucial save in front of the attacker (64th)
The goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea had already made a decisive intervention in front of Mason Greenwood after his defense wandered (55th).
The Englishman was the most restless of his team, trying to spark a revolt at the end of the first period with his left-footed strikes from the right wing.
But neither he, nor Rabiot or De Zerbi, with his good changes, managed to reverse the trend of a match during which the Marseillais did not have their almost insolent success of recent weeks, and experienced their first defeat .
rbo/bvo
