OM - Rennes (1-0) : A debut victory!
Sampaoli's First XI
Jorge Sampaoli and his staff arrived last week but were forced into isolation for seven days. They took charge of team on Monday, 8 March. After only two days of training, the Argentinian technician composed his first starting XI with four absentees: Amavi and Rongier due to injury, Gueye is suspended and Ntcham was not eligible to appear because he joined the club via transfer after Matchday 22, which this match was postponed from.
Marseille started in a 3-5-2 formation. Mandanda was in goal with a defensive trio of Alvaro, Balerdi and Caleta-Car in front of him. In midfield, Nagatomo and Lirola were on the wings while Kamara and Khaoui were lined up behind Payet as a No. 10. Thauvin and Milik were up front.
Mandanda passes another milestone
With every match he plays, Steve Mandanda increases his record of games played as an Olympien. The Olympien goalkeeper appeared in his 450th Ligue 1 match with OM at the Orange Velodrome on Wednesday evening against Rennes.
He became the eighth player to reach this milestone with the same club in L1 over the last 70 seasons and the first since Claude Puel with Monaco in December 1994.
Hats off to the captain!
A penalty Taken away by VAR
The match almost started perfectly for the Olympiens. After just three minutes of play, Lirola crossed for Thauvin to head home. Nyamsi was in the thick of it and appeared to touch the ball with his hand. Jérémie Pignard did not hesitate before pointing to the penalty spot. Alerted by the video assistant referees, the central referee went to review to check the correctness of his decision. On the replay, the Rennes defender touched the ball with his back. The official reversed his decision and cancelled the penalty that Milik was prepared to take.
He had another great opportunity to open the scoring in the 34th minute when he volleyed in a right-footed cross from Thauvin that Gomis had to dive to keep out.
Coaching PAyOFFS
The game was heading for a draw between the two teams. Rennes, through Terrier, had hit the bar. But Sampaoli's changes finally made the difference. It was an all-attack move from the bench that gave OM the win with two minutes left in regulation. On the left, Benedetto set up Luis Henrique who crossed for Cuisance. The former Bayern midfielder got the better of two Rennes players to head the ball beyond Gomis' reach, scoring his first goal for the club and giving his new coach a win in his first game on the bench.
The Table
That's it... The Ligue 1 Uber Eats table is finally up to date. No team holds a game in-hand and with ten games to go, the battles are in full swing. OM's victory means they have climbed two places, from eighth to sixth, and are now two points behind fifth-placed Lens on 44 points.
