Marseille, France — Marseille and Monaco, both chasing Paris Saint-Germain, had a great opportunity to put pressure on the Ligue 1 leader on Saturday. However, neither was able to take advantage of it.
Lille equalized against Marseille in the 87th minute, extending their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions, while Monaco disappointed with a goalless draw at Reims.
Marseille maintains second place in the standings, ahead of Monaco only on goal difference. The two Mediterranean rivals are four points behind PSG, who face in-form Lyon on Sunday.
Marseille looked in control at the Stade Vélodrome until Bafodé Diakité equalized at 1-1.
Marseille opened the scoring in the 17th minute following a great collective action. After a quick one-two pass, Luis Henrique found Adrien Rabiot on the right flank. The latter rushed towards the goal and served a low cross to Quentin Merlin, who feinted a defender before striking with his left foot.
Diakité’s goal came following a free kick taken by Rémy Cabella.
Lille remains undefeated
With nine wins and seven draws, Lille has the second longest unbeaten streak in the club’s history, according to Opta statistics.
“We played a great game and stuck to our plan: prevent them from building through short passes in the middle, then use the wings and exploit the spaces. I think we executed that well,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio. “It would be harsh to leave without a point given our performance. The game plan was followed perfectly. »
Marseille finished the match with ten men after Pol Lirola received a straight red card for a dangerous intervention on André Gomes in injury time.
Lille is positioned fourth, three points behind Marseille.
Monaco in difficulty
Following their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League in midweek, Monaco failed to shine in Reims and almost conceded a goal in the 51st minute when a powerful shot from Oumar Diakité crashed over Philipp Köhn’s transversal.
Monaco’s best chance came in the 77th minute, with Takumi Minamino in a one-on-one situation against goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf, but he missed the target. The Japanese midfielder tried his luck again in injury time, but shot over the bar.
Tested by injuries, Monaco has suffered a decline and has shown signs of fatigue in recent weeks, winning only one of its last five matches in all competitions.
“It’s disappointing, we came here with the ambition of leaving with three points,” commented midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir. “It’s been a difficult week. »
For its part, Lens also drew 2-2 at Auxerre.
Point of view
It is interesting to note that, despite teams like Marseille and Monaco who seem to have the means to compete with PSG, the latter sometimes show gaps in their consistency. Marseille’s draw against Lille, although the latter was deserving, reveals a vulnerability in the team’s defensive approach when the pressure becomes high. For its part, Monaco, which is struggling to recover after injuries, could well need a deep reflection on its strategy in order to find better consistency. In the midst of this title fight, it’s clear that every point counts and the path to success is paved with missed opportunities. It also highlights the importance of proper resource management and rapid adaptation, for a team to respond to the constant challenges of Ligue 1.
- Source image(s) : www.sportsnet.ca
- Source : https://www.sportsnet.ca/article/ligue-1-roundup-lille-extends-unbeaten-run-to-16-matches-after-late-draw/
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