ASSE – OM
0 – 2
Six minutes. Not one more. This is the time it took Dimitri Payet to settle the meeting. On the first Olympian foray into the Saint-Etienne area, he left M’Vila on his buttocks and his unscrewed center shot fell between the post and Ruffier. Maximum success.
However, it was the Stéphanois who lit the first wick. The three-way movement between Khazri, Diony and Hamouma opens a breach in the axis but Amavi steals the ball from Hamouma when he arms his shot (1st). The game started on a high foundation.
Mandanda stands in front of Diony
The Stéphanois oppose application against the Marseille mastery. Successively, Diony and Khazri are too short on Hamouma’s perforations (19th). The Tunisian still does not manage to adjust the target on his weekly lob of 40 meters. The ball passes over Mandanda’s bar (22nd). However, persistence is a virtue. On a good technical level this first period could have enabled Diony to unlock his goal counter on an opening from M’Vila, but the Marseille keeper deflected his shot (38th).
On resumption, the animation is to the credit of Wahbi Khazri who accuses the Olympian coach, Villas-Boas, of wanting to play the watch. The altercation between the two men awakens the 22 actors (65th). In the game, the imprint of OM who tightened its lines is more significant.
Greens without an offensive solution
Except for a head of Hamouma blocked by Mandanda, the attack of the Greens fails to unlock the opposing padlock. The dolphin of the PSG proves that it is not in this place by chance and its management of the meeting shows the way that remains to be covered for the men of Claude Puel. Good will is not enough to reverse the situation. It will not be the overwhelming strike from Bouanga which will pose more of a problem for Mandanda, still vigilant on this occasion (83rd). His Stéphanois counterpart at least an eye on an opening by Samson for Radonjic who crucified him alone at the far post (85th, 0-2).
The football lesson is over, the gap seems too large between a contender for the Champions League and a formation of “middle” of the championship table.