This evening, at the Vélodrome stadium, OM hosted RC Strasbourg as part of the eighteenth day of Ligue 1. Result, 1-1 draw.
We knew it even before the match started: with the defeat of AS Monaco on Friday evening in Montpellier, OM had a golden opportunity to widen the gap on their competitors for a qualifying place in the Champions League. next season. Because with seven points ahead of LOSC, and eight over the Principality club, a victory against Strasbourg would have been synonymous with an excellent accounting transaction.
A first period with nine subscribers absent
We still had to be present on the pitch at the Vélodrome and show some desire in the face of a team that was as young as it was playful. But with the exception of Neal Maupay, combative against Mamadou Sarr, but never found himself in good conditions afterwards, and the restless Bilal Nadir, in all the good moves at the start of the match, not a player from De Zerbi put one foot in front of the other. Greenwood got stuck in his solitary dribbles on his left side, Luis Henrique was absent and the only opportunity offered to the Olympian supporters was an off-target shot from the Brazilian in the… 38th minute of the match. OM, for 45 minutes, certainly had possession (68.5%) and won more duels than the Alsatians (17/12). But with zero shots on target, it was difficult to return to the locker room with the advantage, especially since Leonardo Balerdi had the bad idea of getting caught by Emanuel Emegha, who went alone on goal on an opening from Santos and who, with a stolen ball , opened the scoring alone against Rulli.
-De Zerbi seeks depth…
Returning from the locker room, Roberto De Zerbi tried to add more depth with the entry of young Robinio Vaz (17) in place of Neal Maupay. A judicious idea given the player’s very good entry and even collectively since the Marseillais, higher up the pitch, finally created a clear opportunity from Greenwood, ideally served by Luis Henrique, but which did not fit his special with a curled shot left foot (47th). De Zerbi, undoubtedly aware that his team had to bring more, decided to make other changes with the entries of Merlin (Garcia) and Rowe (Nadir). Judicious, again, since the Strasbourgers, on the back foot, no longer left their half of the field. Luis Enrique, with a subtle strike from the left, found Petrovic’s left post (64th) before Vaz, very experienced for his young age, dropped into the penalty area for a justified penalty and converted by the top scorer ( 12) of L1, Mason Greenwood (1-1, 68th).
…and finds Robinio Vaz
It is likely that at this rate, OM supporters will frequently chant the name of Robinio Vaz. The OM training center, which picked him up from Sochaux (U 19) last summer, knew that it had a nugget, Roberto De Zerbi may have found an ideal replacement this evening. Coming into play against LOSC in the Coupe de France, Vaz did a lot of good in the OM attack. Providing him with solutions and obvious dynamism. It was also him, responding to the post found by Strasbourg’s Emegha (72nd) who was close to delivering the Vélodrome before missing his right-footed shot (79th). OM, inconsistent, dropped two points against the Alsatian club. But now they are 5 ahead of LOSC, 3rd in Ligue 1. That’s it.
Related News :