OM lost (3-0) to Atalanta in the semi-final second leg of the Europa League, against Atalanta, in Italy. The disappointment and frustration are great among the supporters of the Olympians. A look back at reactions to the Old Port of Marseille.
The excitement did not subside directly after the festivities for the arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille. On the evening of May 9, the Old Port was stormed by OM supporters. The Olympians faced Atalanta for the second leg of the Europa League semi-final, in Bergamo (Italy). The shower was cold for those who believed in a place in the final. The Italians won 3-0 against Marseille.
From the first half, and after Atalanta’s first goal, hopes began to disappear. “We cannot build the game, move forward. They have a good defense. I hope that in the second half, we will wake up, because we didn’t see anything in the first“, asserts a supporter. “There was only one team on the field. There, the OM players did not understand that it was a semi-final. There is nothing to say there. Considering the match, OM did not deserve to win“, adds another.
But one of the qualities of supporters is their support for their team and some still see victory possible. “We will have to make changes because for the moment, we are not there yet. But we believe in it, everyone believes in it, it should do it and we should win.“
There are many who hope “a good bit of pressure” so that the second half will be better. But that will not be the case and Atalanta will drive home the point by scoring two additional goals. “It’s just sadness and frustration to see the Olympians like that.” blurted out a dejected supporter.
Others are more direct in their analysis. “. It was tough tactically, we weren’t there. We lacked precision in passing, we didn’t have any bloody calls behind our backs. They saw the match going, they read us. This season has was difficult, next year, we hope we will be there, we are disappointed, tonight, we will not sleep well, we will think about the first leg, what Aubameyang misses at the start of the second half. we take the third to close it out. For the end of the season and the three matches, you have to have the courage to go there.“, another fan digests with difficulty.
For his part, Jean-Luc Gasset does not know how to explain this match. “It’s inexplicable. It’s a reflection of the season. We didn’t have confidence, but a little hope compared to the first leg, but we fell back into our mistakes, the coach returned at a press conference. There is a lack of awareness, of personality, which means that only the Vélodrome transcends them. When we see the first leg, we say “there is room”, when we see the return leg, we say to ourselves “tonight, they were much stronger than us”. It was not the opponent’s scheme that put us in difficulty. When you are beaten in all the duels, when you do not recover any ball, it is a problem of desire, of fight, of duel, what I said before the match“.
OM faces Lorient on Sunday 12 at the Vélodrome stadium.
