LOSC: the Marseillais are mad with rage against arbitration!

Olympique de Marseille failed to come back to within two points of Paris Saint-Germain. While they dominated the game after a quick goal from Quentin Merlin, the Phocéens conceded the equalizer at the end of the match against LOSC after a header from Bafodé Diakité on a set piece (1-1). A result which does not suit OM, since AS Monaco can move back to second place in the event of a victory this weekend. One word came back from the Marseillais side for this poor result at home: frustrating.

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Roberto De Zerbi regretted the two lost points, explaining his tactical choices at the end of the match and in particular the poor entry of Derek Cornelius. “I think we lost two points tonight, we had a lot of chances in the second half and Lille’s came from our mistakes, between Kondogbia and Merlin. I’m not going to say that Lille played badly, but losing two points at the end of the match hurts (…) After the 1-0, Lille showed pressure and we relied a lot on Maupay in the second half. Bring Harit in place of Cornelius? I had to make a choice, Rongier’s intensity had decreased, we had to filter the balls in this position, I think Harit is not capable of doing that. Koné or Nadir can do it… but Harit doesn’t know how to do it”he blurted.

Roberto De Zerbi tackles Willy Delajod

But Olympique de Marseille mainly attacked Mr. Delajod’s refereeing. The president of LOSC, Olivier Létang, and the sports director of OM, Medhi Benatia, went onto the field, while the referee was evacuated under police protection, accompanied by the Vélodrome bronca. “I don’t like to talk about the referee, but I think that on both sides there were decisions that were perhaps unfair expressed the former Nantes resident. But the referee is part of the game, we have to stay focused, calm, even if it’s complicated because we’re in it and we’re galvanized by the Vélodrome… But it’s up to the referee to make decisions», first reacted the scorer Quentin Merlin.

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Then, at a press conference, Roberto De Zerbi stepped up to the plate: “Honestly, the referee didn’t play a good game. He did not control his match. He missed some strong moments. There were systematic fouls on Neal Maupay. On their goal, there is a block on Leonardo Balerdi. A penalty should have been awarded for the foul for Rowe. I’m not used to talking about arbitration. This OM-Lille would have deserved better refereeing. There were problems but everyone makes mistakes”he justified. An electric end to the match at the Vélodrome…