Buts : Rowe (51e) for the Phocaeans // El Melaili (54e) for Scoists
Exclusions: Raoliosa (26e) // Death (3e)
In a Vélodrome stadium deprived of part of its ultras, the Marseillais tried to forget their first defeat of the season last week against Strasbourg (1-0). However, the meeting rather resembled remake of the fight between Benoît Saint-Denis and Renato Moicano than of football. The two teams therefore logically separated with a draw (both in terms of goals and expulsion) at the end of the two 45-minute rounds.
Crazy red cards
The two teams were evenly matched for 25 minutes, taking turns creating chances. Like Mason Greenwood, who had the first shot on target of the match (10e), well repelled with both fists by Yahia Fofana. Himad Abdelli tried to respond with a curler which forced Gerónimo Rulli to relax at full length to slam the ball over his crossbar (33e), but it was above all Romain Lissogue, the evening referee, who was the key player in the first half.
While the Marseillais found themselves in numerical superiority after Lilian Raolisoa’s knee tackle on Ulisses Garcia (26e), Neal Maupay decided to be fair with the Angevins by collecting a second yellow card four minutes later, synonymous with exclusion, after his nasty sole on Jean-Eudes Aholou (30e). In total, six cards, including two red, were taken out of Mr. Lissogue’s pocket during the first 45 minutes.
Returning from the locker room with much better offensive intentions, the Marseillais managed to find the opening thanks to Jonathan Rowe who entered at half-time. Benefiting from the poor recovery of Bahiya Biumla and the passivity of the Angevin defense, the English international hopeful was quick to send his cross shot into the back of Fofana’s net (1-0, 51e). But it is now in ping-pong that Angers has distinguished itself. Three minutes after conceding the opener, the most dangerous Angevin of the match, Farid El Melaili, forced Rulli to fetch the ball from the back of his net with his perfectly placed direct free kick to sign the SCO equalization (1-1, 54e). Amir Murillo thought for a few seconds that he had restored the advantage to his team, before the VAR realized that the ball hit the arm of the Panamanian international before finishing its course in the Angevin goal (67e).
Despite the siege put in place on the Angevin goals by the Phocaeans, Roberto De Zerbi’s protégés did not manage to regain the advantage, despite the multiple entries of offensive players. Marseille currently remains third in the standings with 14 points, while Angers remains bottom with only three points pocketed. The kind of Friday night that doesn’t enchant anyone.
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