The adage is now well known. The decision often takes place in the last ten minutes with Stade de Reims. This was already the case in the first leg, in Marseille or Wednesday against Lille. This Sunday evening, it was still necessary to wait for the 83rd minute to see one team take over the other. And this time, the facts were unfavorable to the Stade de Reims. Rather cruel after analysis of the physiognomy of the game. Because until then, the Rémois had perfectly contained the Marseille attacks, like a Dion Lopy in the oven and in the mill.
Faced with a Marseille team who needed points to consolidate their 2nd place, the Rémois often ran after the ball. But solid in the duels and well organized defensively, the proteges ofOscar Garcia suffered with a certain serenity. Better still, several well-executed ball exits offered counter situations, which were ultimately poorly exploited. Often in their camp, the Rémois still have the opportunities to open the scoring. But neither Azor Matusiwaneither Mitchell Van Bergen from a lob after an error by Steve Mandanda, couldn’t find the nets.
the changes made the difference
Disciplined behind, and generous in front, the Rémois gave up almost nothing more after the break. But the entries of Dimitri Payet and Gerson further accentuated the visitor domination. If the two Olympians pushed back the Reims bloc, Predrag Rajkovic remained vigilant on the situations in which it was given to intervene. To get annoyed and to seek a second wind, the Marseillais even stretched the stick to be beaten. And the incoming Arber Zeneli for Marshall Munetsi, twice, were close to profiting from it. But Steve Mandanda was also vigilant. It took a restart errorAndrew Gravel to decide the fate of the match. On the corner that followed his error, Payet found Gerson whose stepover to eliminate Gravillon, chained to the curling shot from the right hit the mark. The Rémois did not recover. The result is cruel, but not infamous. No matter, four games from the end, the Stade de Reims will have done well against a European semi-finalist. The opportunity to approach the end of the season with serenity and a touch of ambition.
–
In Reims (Auguste Delaune stadium), Marseille beat Stade de Reims 1-0
- Arbitrator : Mr Jérôme Brisard
- Spectators : 20330
- Half time: 0-0
- Goals – Gerson (80th) for Marseille
- Warnings – at Rémois Bradley Locko (28th); to Marseillais Luan Peres (5th)
- Reims : Rajkovic – Konan, Abdelhamid (cap), Faes, Gravillon, Foket (Busi, 79th) – Locko (Munetsi, 46th), Matusiwa (Kebbal, 89th), Lopy – Mbuku (Zeneli, 46th), Van Bergen (Touré, 63rd ). Entr. :Oscar Garcia
- Marseilles: Mandanda – Kolasinac (Gerson, 46th), Peres, Saliba, Rongier – Gueye, Kamara (Caleta-Car, 79th), Guendouzi – Harit (Payet, 46th), Under (Lirola, 73rd), Milik (Dieng, 79th). Entr. : Jorge Sampaoli
–
–