In their first official outing at the Vélodrome, OM had a hard time going up against Reims, who opened the scoring after 10 minutes and was dangerous throughout the game. Enthusiastic and adventurous, Marcelino’s players were able to capitalize at the end of the match, thanks to a goal from Ventiha (2-1, 73′) and preserve their victory. A breath of fresh air, in anticipation of the late goal that will come on Tuesday already against Panathinaikos, in the third qualifying round for a return to the Champions League.
What to remember
OM has been challenged very seriously against Reims, and has shown progress, particularly in attacking anime. Onahe opened the goal counter for the Olympians (1-1, 23). Previously, Mbemba had put his header on the opposition crossbar (14). Finally, Vitinha, the scorer of a goal disallowed for slight offside (41), was active and touched down a number of offensive balls. Thanks to the balloons, the Portuguese got the winning goal, being faster than Abdelhamid and Diouf, after a small serve from Sarr (2-1, 73).
In comparison to Wednesday’s match in Athens, neither Aubameyang nor Sarr (entered 51st) nor Feretout started the match at the Velodrome. Coach Marcelino has not hidden his desire to preserve several elements in anticipation of the return match against Panathinaikos on Tuesday, which is a qualifying match for the C1 accession match and therefore more important than the first match in L1. .
The Stade Velodrome disappointed when Eto’o, who had been left a bit in the Marseille area by Mbemba, made a near rebound from the left post of Pau Lopez (0-1, 10). OM fans breathed their last breath after Ounahi, with a fine shot from the right, equalized (1-1, 23) and shot clear as their team moved up on the scoreboard.
OM’s European future is not yet assured, but the Ligue 1 season is off to a better start.
Player: Ezzedine Onahi
Despite the defeat and lack of attacking intent in Athens on Wednesday, it was indeed Azzedine Ohani who showed the most audacity against Panathinaikos, attempting a long shot before the break. This Saturday against Reims he was still showing the initiative. While OM was down 1-0. A little forgotten about twenty meters from the opponent’s goal, the full axis, the Moroccan hit a shot from the right and hit the equalizer for his team (1-1, 23).
Onahe scored twice on the left from Marcelino’s 4-4-2 central, but he’s also a good passer, who takes his marks quickly, apparently inside the new OM. Around €10m was moved from Angers in the winter transfer window last season, and the underpowered midfielder benefited from an impressive World Cup run for Morocco in Qatar – semi-finalists in the competition.
Onahe, 17 caps, 2 goals, played all matches for the Atlas Lions, except for the third-place match (lost 2-1 against Croatia).
In Ligue 1, the second part of the season has been somewhat truncated. Top scorer in his first match against Nantes (2-0), Onahe then appeared in just seven minor matches, due to a broken toe at the end of March. The drive he showed in the first matches testifies to his desire to finally distinguish himself in the Olympic jersey.
Number: 2
Both teams were denied a goal on Saturday afternoon at the Velodrome. Eto’o came close to scoring twice and made it 1-2 in the 38th minute, but the referees ruled that the ball had gone out of bounds lengthwise beforehand. Shortly after, a goal from close range from Vitinha, despite a service from Unahi (41), was disallowed due to a (slight) offside from the Portuguese at the origin of the action.
Statement: Marcelino
“It was important to win in front of our fans and we did. We were impatient with the ball in the first half, but it was better in the second half. We had an important opponent, they scored and they put us in difficulty. I wish we had more chances, a little bit behind and that was better.” In the second half. I saw a positive attitude. We are still building and it is better to win. I am satisfied with the result, the situation, but there is still a long way to go for improvement. »
