Olympique de Marseille is on the right track. While we announced a club on the verge of derailment, with a new coach, Igor Tudor, questioned even before his first official match, the Marseillais set the record straight at the end of the first day of Ligue 1 .
Convincing and solid, the Olympians easily defeated Stade de Reims (4-1) on Sunday August 7, thanks in particular to the contribution of the various recruits. Like PSG, Lyon and Monaco, OM impose themselves from the start and launch this 2022-2023 financial year perfectly.
The beginning of the evening did not, however, suggest such a quiet evening for the Phocaeans. Copiously whistled at the announcement of the teams, as after the friendly defeat against Milan, Igor Tudor had just made a surprise decision: to put Dimitri Payet on the bench. An astonishing choice, but which was validated by the collective performance of OM in the first period.
Without creating a shower of chances, the Marseillais imposed a hellish pace. Opposite, the Stade de Reims quickly began to run out of air. And it was in this unbreathable atmosphere, accentuated by a sold-out Velodrome, that Wout Faes diverted a long cross from Jonathan Clauss into his own goals. A touch of success which then fled OM, with a strike from Ünder on the bar and another from Rongier on the post.
Upon returning from the locker room, OM were able to calmly manage the second act, after an understandable drop in speed at the start of the season. Not worried by disoriented Rémois, the Marseillais had also taken off before the break, thanks to a personal feat by Nuno Tavares, another rookie, whose clear shot from the right left Pentz no chance.
Less packed, the second period still offered three additional goals: a double from Luis Suarez, who arrived at OM this summer, opportunistic from a corner then served on a set by Bakambu. Another from Balogun, who came to reduce the lead gap for Reims at the end of the game. At the time of the accounts, Marseille won 4-1, and joined the other cadors at the top of Ligue 1. Better still: the Olympians were convincing in the game, enough to remove the first doubts about the new coach, Igor Tudor.