We play additional time when the Vélodrome stadium erupts. The 62,000 people present, Friday, March 25, in the Olympique de Marseille stadium celebrate the goal scored in the last moments of the friendly match between the France team and Côte d’Ivoire (2-1). But difficult to know if the supporters celebrate the first goal in selection of Aurélien Tchouaméni, or the decisive pass of the local of the stage, Mattéo Guendouzi.
Since coming into play fifteen minutes earlier, the OM player has been acclaimed by the Marseille public at each of his touches of the ball. At the end of the match, he therefore participated in the tricolor liberation against the combative Elephants and offered the Vélodrome stadium new great emotions in Blue. Six years after the semi-final of Euro 2016 against Germany (2-0), the French team thus made its return to the lair of OM.
A match that marked the players, the French public and the supporters present at the time. On the Prado roundabout, a stone’s throw from the Vélodrome, Kévin fondly remembers this meeting before the start of the match against Côte d’Ivoire. “One of the most beautiful atmospheres I have seen at the Vélodrome“, assures the supporter, OM tracksuit on the shoulders. “This is one of my fondest memories in Blue“, assured Hugo Lloris Thursday. The players of Deschamps were ready to try to relive the same emotions despite the lack of stake in this friendly meeting.
The issue, precisely, did not have the same flavor for the Ivorian supporters met earlier in the day on the Old Port. The latter was adorned more in orange than blue a few hours before the match. “It’s more than a friendly match for us. I think we can get on the level of the France team“says Régis, an Ivorian student who came from Paris with a group of friends. The match proved him right, despite the defeat.
Close to the Old Port, so few Blues jerseys. Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and only one Kylian Mbappé, carried by Otman, 13 years old. “He is a fan of his. But I told him not to wear the Paris jersey, because here, you never know“, laughs Abdel, his father, who offered his son the trip from Grenoble as a congratulations on his good grades. Like Abdel and Otman, the atmosphere was family last night at the Vélodrome. Less boiling than that of OM matches.
Mbappé half-acclaimed, half-booed. Kimpembe’s name was booed, unlike Guendouzi’s. #FRACIV pic.twitter.com/QueQif00kE
— Denis Menetrier (@DMenetrier) March 25, 2022
It must be said that the Blues rarely come to Marseille: only five visits since the beginning of the century (in 2000, 2009, 2014 and twice in 2016 during the Euro). Difficult to retain OM supporters. “They don’t come here often, so it’s cool to see them. There are France team jerseys everywhere, it’s really weird“, is surprised Adrien, loyal to OM, in front of the entrance to the Jean Bouin stand before the match. His friend Florent, also a supporter of the Olympian club, expects that the calmer atmosphere will benefit Kylian Mbappe: “We are not going to whistle it, but we are not going to applaud it either.”
Mbappé, weakened by an ENT infection, did not finally come into play. But his name was half booed, half cheered by the public at the Vélodrome stadium when the team compositions were announced. And each of his appearances on the stadium’s giant screens was widely hailed by the public, won over to the cause of the OM players. There will have been Guendouzi, therefore, decisive at the end of the match. And William Saliba, who entered the pitch earlier, on the hour mark to replace Raphaël Varane.
William Saliba replaces Raphaël Varane.
for Marseille, in his stadium
1-1| #FRACIV | #ProudToBeBlues pic.twitter.com/BQ2p57zhhx
— French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) March 25, 2022
“When Saliba and Guendouzi return, the stadium will explode”, assured us Nicolas, OM supporter, in front of the Jean Bouin stand. Saliba experienced a very special first selection, to the cheers of the Marseille public at each of his touches of the ball. “I thank all the supporters, it made me feel good, it made me happy, it gave me confidence. A lot of pride and emotion, especially at the Vélodrome, at home“, reacted Saliba after the match.
Cheers that have “boosted, rather than hearing whistles“, commented Didier Deschamps. And because we were in Marseille and we had to whistle a Parisian, while Kimpembe and Mbappé remained on the bench, the public booed Adrien Rabiot, trained at PSG, during his coming into play. Only a few minutes before an exhilarating end to the match and “an important communion with the public“, underlined Hugo Lloris in a press conference. Six years later, the Blues have provided the essentials by winning and will once again have good memories of Marseille.