OM - Monaco (2-1) : Connected
Payet Suspended, amavi out
To face Monaco in the 14th round of Ligue 1 Uber Eats, André Villas-Boas had to compose his starting eleven according to his unavailable players. Jordan Amavi, already absent from the Manchester City game due to a calf injury, also had to forfeit the match on Saturday. For the second time in a row, Yuto Nagatomo occupied the left lane of the Olympien defence. Also deprived of Dimitri Payet, suspended for the match, the Portuguese coach took Michaël Cuisance as number 10 behind the two strikers Dario Benedetto and Florian Thauvin. It was therefore a diamond 4-4-2 that was renewed. The OM starting eleven: Mandanda (cap) - Sakai, Alvaro, Caleta-Car, Nagatomo - Sanson, Kamara, Rongier, Cuisance - Thauvin, Benedetto. Already absent for several weeks, Nemanja Radonjic was unable to join the group again. Finally, the coach watched the match from the stands due to his exclusion against Nîmes.
Benedetto for Thauvin, Thauvin for Benedetto
From the outset, the Olympians were taken by storm by the Monegasques. Ben Yedder came very close to opening the scoring but could not find the frame. Little destabilised by this opportunity, the Olympians responded quickly. In the fifth minute of play, Benedetto, on the left side, made a festival of moves, cleared his defender and then crossed for Thauvin, whose header was perfect. The match got off to a flying start and the pressure from Marseille pushed the Monegasques back. A few minutes after the opening goal, the connection between Thauvin and Benedetto was back on track. This time it was the left-positioned player who handed out a caviar for the Argentinian who had plenty of time to adjust to double the lead.
SANSON INJURY
Solid from the beginning of the match in midfield, Morgan Sanson unfortunately had to leave his partners after only 25 minutes of play. While he was holding his left ankle, he gave up his place to Pape Gueye. This cut led to a decrease in the rhythm of the match and the situations became rarer. The Monegasques had a big chance, a free-kick hit hard by Badiashile, but Mandanda, attentive, deployed himself to deflect the ball into a corner. OM returned to the dressing room with the advantage on the scoreboard (2-0).`
Penalty for Monaco
The first quarter of the second half was in favour of the Monegasques. By making three quick changes, they were often present in the Olympien penalty area. Benedetto was in good form on Saturday evening and he read the ball's trajectory well and intercepted an opponent's touch. The Argentinian ran towards the goal and released Thauvin, whose left foot shot could not find the target. With a quarter of an hour to go, Monaco was awarded a penalty after Thauvin's high foot on Ben Yedder. Steve Mandanda who dived to his right, correctly, was finally beaten by the Monegasque.
Sixth success
The end of the meeting was stressful. Having halved the deficit, the Monegasques pushed and possession was to their advantage. But the Olympiens, solid in defence, repelled the opposing offensives. In his goal, Steve Mandanda made the necessary catches to reassure his team-mates. The five minutes of extra time were over, the Marseille players could breathe a sigh of relief.
This new victory is synonymous with their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 Uber Eats success for OM, who are continuing their way to the top of the standings despite being two matches behind.
