The two beasts were injured, only Monaco will have healed its wounds. After three games without a win in Ligue 1 and an elimination in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, the Monegasques had to react. But against them, Marseille also sought reassurance.
To ward off fate, Jorge Sampaoli had chosen to align the same system as during Marseille’s last victory in the league against Angers: a diamond-shaped midfielder behind the attacking duo Milik-Bakambu.
The first conclusive formula. The Marseillais take control of the match and occupy the part of the Monegasque field. Led by a very restless Payet, OM multiplied the chances. Milik is the first to stand out following a fine movement between Gerson and Kamara, but Tchouaméni comes in the way of the Polish striker (11th).
Marseille enterprising but inefficient
Cornered, Monaco is content to parry the blows through Nübel. The German goalkeeper is initially vigilant on a crushed shot from Guendouzi (14th), and reassures his defense by deflecting the powerful shot from the left of Rongier (22nd).
And when the Olympians do not stumble on Nübel, their imprecision or the self-sacrifice of the Monegasque defense plays tricks on them. Served by Bakambu at the entrance to the area, Payet hits above the target (29′). The Marseille playmaker struggles to launch the offensive arrows, but Disasi is on all the balls.
After hunkering down, Monaco thinks they’ll make the perfect shot when Jean Lucas escapes the Marseille defense and deceives Pau Lopez (43′). But the former Lyonnais is ahead of Valentin Rongier by a toe and the goal is disallowed for offside.
Gelson Martins turns off the Velodrome
As in Lyon a month ago, Marseille is attractive but inefficient. As against the Lyonnais, the Marseillais change their face in the second half and give hope to their opponent.
So Monaco seizes its chance. Like Payet in the first period, Ben Yedder takes things in hand on the Monegasque side. Blindly, the former Toulouse man finds Kevin Volland in the interval: the German striker hits the post but the ball comes back to Gelson Martins who pushes the ball deep (58′).
Suffocated by Monegasques placed much higher on the ground, the Olympians are struggling to develop their game as they did in the first act. Jorge Sampaoli’s men are trying to react in fits and starts. But here again, Disasi or Badiashile are keeping watch. The former Reims player was happy to see his header flee the frame after a cross from Gerson (62′), and cut the trajectory well on the breakthrough from Guendouzi (73′).
Solid in defense, the Monegasques could even have left the Vélodrome with a two-goal victory, but Fofana’s shot went just wide of Pau Lopez’s goal.
Whistled by their own supporters at the end of the match, the Marseillais did not manage to erase the poor results against Clermont and Troyes. For its part, Monaco can breathe. Eliminated from the Coupe de France on Wednesday against Nantes, ASM is relaunching in the race for Europe. Wissam Ben Yedder’s teammates are back in eighth place, three points from the top 5 and six points behind their opponent of the day, now third.