A big blow on the head of the Marseillais. In addition to the magnitude of the score (3-0), the defeat conceded at home by Olympique de Marseille, Sunday 1er May evening, closing the 35and day of Ligue 1 against Olympique Lyonnais, threatens second place that OM seemed to master with their six victories in the last seven days.
Certainly the Marseillais are still the best placed to support Paris-Saint-Germain in the Champions League. But they saw that Rennes (3and) and Monaco (4and) win this weekend and get back in their mirrors. Three days to go and before two trips to Lorient and…Rennes, they are only three steps ahead of this chasing duo.
After being irresistible for a long time, the Phocaeans lost twice this week, as they lost Thursday in Rotterdam on the lawn of Feyenoord (3-2) in the first leg of the Europa League Conference. And they conceded three goals each time, which is not very reassuring. The Provençal club is going through a turbulent phase which brings to the surface the bad memories of the 2017-2018 season, when it dreamed of a trophy in the Europa League and qualification for the Champions League before losing everything in a few weeks.
Lyon still hope for Europe
OM are not there yet but they already know that Lyon will have cost them dearly this season. As in the first leg (2-1), Lyon beat Marseille in the duel of the Olympiques, and thus retained, for its part, a small chance of European qualification, even if the club is still far from the account, 7and five lengths from Nice (5and).
Lyon’s triumph was written in the second period, when Peter Bosz’s players, dominated before the break, took advantage of Marseille’s inefficiency and a little luck. The first goal was indeed scored by Lukeba after a free kick from Emerson deflected through the wall, which trapped Pau Lopez (1-0, 55and). At the time, Marseille demanded an intervention from the VAR (Video Assistance to Arbitration), Dembélé having stepped on the arm of the OM goalkeeper, but in vain.
Lyon then made the break on two fine goals scored against by Dembélé (76and) and Toko Ekambi (88and), when Marseille pushed clumsily and without seeming to believe in it more than that despite the fervor of the Vélodrome, full to bursting (nearly 65,000 spectators) for this shock which also marked the 35th anniversary of the South Winners, the main group of club supporters.
Sampaoli criticizes arbitration
Jorge Sampaoli’s side had in fact missed their chance before the break and the Arkadiusz Milik case is going to be opened again. After two failed but difficult first chances, the former Neapolitan should indeed have made the difference just before the break. On this action, everything was perfect, the call from Gerson in depth, that of the Pole at the far post and the supported pass from the Brazilian. Milik then only had to cut the trajectory, but the Marseille striker, from the right, did not aim.
The end of the first period had however been rather Marseille, the men of Sampaoli installing their game of position and possession after a start to the match where they had not released an immense serenity.
Previously, one of the few hot moments had been Dembélé’s suspicious arm movement in his box from a cross from Gerson. All of OM demanded the penalty, from the players to Sampaoli and the entire stadium.
“Before the mistakes of the referee, we were better, we had control. Unfortunately we are penalized, we cannot change that”said Jorge Sampaoli at a press conference. “We have already been penalized in Paris, and again here. I believe that the criteria should be standardized so that no one is penalized as we were tonight., added the Marseille coach who only managed to collect a yellow card on the contentious action of the penalty not whistled. Dirty evening for OM, definitely.