Buts : Greenwood (68eSP) for Olympique de Marseille // Emegha (23e) for Strasbourg
A team which has not suffered defeat for eight consecutive games in all competitions on one side, a club undefeated for six matches on the national scene (champions and French Cups) on the other. What might this mean upon arrival? A draw, of course. On the occasion of the eighteenth day of Ligue 1, Olympique de Marseille and Strasbourg shared the points. With Racing which had the merit of leading, but which was (rather logically) caught up. The favorite of the evening and runner-up to Paris Saint-Germain sees the leader escape with a nine-point lead at the top of the standings, while the outsider remains well stuck in tenth position.
Possession is not right
275 successful passes to 124, seventeen duels won against twelve, four shots attempted for two opponents, almost 70% ball possession… On the surface, Marseille’s first period seems good. Except that the Olympians do not succeed in the most important thing, namely scoring. Worse, Strasbourg managed on the contrary to shake Geronimo Rulli’s net after 23 minutes of play: served in depth by Andrey Santos, Emanuel Emegha won his duel with the Argentine goalkeeper thanks to a little controlled dive.
A difficult opening score for the locals, who were terribly lax defensively on the decisive action and who then struggled to equalize. However, OM had two big chances before the break: Derek Cornelius sent his header over the goal from a corner from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, and Bilal Nadir’s shot went wide on Luis Henrique’s. But like these two opportunities, the Phocaeans clearly lack precision and address.
Replacements that make the difference
Obviously disappointed with his men and the result at half-time, Roberto De Zerbi made two changes during the intermission (Cornielius replaced by Pol Lirola, Robinio Vaz in place of Neal Maupay) then two others at half-time. game (Quentin Merlin for Ulisses Garcia, Nadir by Jonathan Rowe). The fact remains that these entries do not immediately modify the scenario of the meeting, despite a penalty refused to Nadir or an opportunity for the contested Mason Greenwood who screws up his roll.
-However, the Marseillais are gradually getting closer to their goal. And if Dorde Petrovic makes a few saves, it is finally on peno that the Serbian goalkeeper bows: sanctioning a foul by Santos on Vaz, very interesting this Sunday evening, the sentence is transformed by the Englishman and former Manchester United. 1-1, ball in the center! Not happy, Emegha reacts quickly and tries to copy and paste the first goal… On the post. So much for the closing gesture of the weekend!
Marseille (3-4-3) : Rulli – Balerdi, Cornelius (Lirola, 46e), Brassier – Henrique, Højbjerg, Nadir (Rowe, 61e), Garcia (Merlin, 61e) – Greenwood, Maupay (Vaz, 46e), Rabiot. Coach : By Zerbi.
Strasbourg (4-2-3-1) : Petrovic – Doué, Sarr, Doukouré, Ouattara – Diarra, Santos – Bakwa (Sebas, 76e), Lemaréchal, Nanasi (Senaya, 76e) – Open. Coach : Roses.
Relive OM – Strasbourg (1-1)
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