Guingamp - OM (3-3) | Marseille left wanting in road draw
Olympique Marseille will return from the Ligue 1 Conforama visit to Guingamp with just point from a back-and-forth, end-to-end affair.
Les Olympiens will have both regrets after dropping an early 2-0 lead, and also a sense of accomplishment for finishing the match level on goals with just nine men. Mathematically, the League’s second and third positions are still within reach with one match remaining.
Marseille will have to watch as Lyon and Monaco, the current second and the third place clubs, play matches this weekend.
Les Olympiens started strong on the road in the Friday fixture. The second minute saw Valère Germain soar through the air to head home a service by Florian Thauvin. It was Thauvin’s 11th assist in Ligue 1. The intensity and technical capacity of Rudi Garcia's men allowed them to dominate the start of the match, later doubling their lead. Lucas Ocampos found Florian Thauvin, who placed a clever header into the bottom of the net, sending OM into a 2-0 lead.
In the 42nd minute, the match took a turn. A shot off the bar by Jimmy Briand rebounded to the feet of Grenier, who slid the ball into the empty goal.
Guingamp continued building into the beginning of the second half. In the 52nd minute, on a seemingly unintentional move by Ocampos, referee Amaury Delerue pointed to the penalty spot and signaled the ball was handled. Grenier stepped up and equalized. Guingamp pushed forward with intense pressure. In a 1-v-1 with Steve Mandanda, Briand caused drew another penalty and the subsequent ejection of les Olympiens’ goalkeeper.
Even then, outmanned and outnumbered, second-half substitute Bouna Sarr found an again-dangerous Thauvin, who cut and equalized. Soon after Sarr assisted, an old shoulder injury reemerged in a series of seven consecutive corners for OM. OM finished with just nine men on the pitch, but still pushed. There would be no final answer though.
After the disappointing draw, Garcia and Co. must now look ahead to the Europea League final in Lyon.
