Honeymoon is over: De Zerbi's Marseille fail to win again

They had an extra player, they had the lead, they had constant initiative on the field, but they failed to defeat the bottom-placed Angers at their Velodrome. After three convincing wins (3-1, 3-0, 5-2), Olympique Marseille only managed a 1-1 draw against their rival from western France. The hosts missed a big opportunity to, at the start of the seventh round of Ligue 1, catch up with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco at the top of the table. Instead, they allowed Angers to secure their third point since the beginning of the season and pull off a major surprise. It might be too early for drastic moves, but the club from the south of France has changed coaches for much smaller mistakes. The temperament of Marseille’s fans and their impatience are well-known. As things stand, this season, they might again fall far behind their big rival from Paris, and this result won’t be quickly forgotten by Roberto De Zerbi. Especially because redemption was expected after the loss to Strasbourg in the previous round (0-1).

And it seemed everything was going in the home team's favor. First, they had an extra player, although briefly, then a lead, but it was quickly neutralized...The first half was marked by two red cards. Due to a very harsh tackle on Ulises' knee, Lilian Rao-Lisoa earned a red card in the middle of the first half. Referee Romain Lissorgue initially showed him a yellow card, but after intervention from the VAR room, he reviewed the footage and changed his decision. Just a few minutes later, the fiery Neal Maupay had to leave the game. Unlike the visiting player, his challenge wasn't as fierce, but he went in with an open foot on his opponent, and the referee likely also took into account Maupay's behavior. Several times before that, Maupay had shown signs of frustration and got into arguments, even shoving with Angers players.

Marseille club president Pablo Longoria followed the events on the field very theatrically, especially in the first half, but as time passed, he became calmer. He was still animated when, about twenty minutes before the end, a goal by Murillo was disallowed, as he had used his hand to direct the ball into the net after a header. Just six minutes after returning from halftime, Olympique took the lead thanks to a quick reaction by substitute Jonathan Rowe in Angers' penalty area. Bringing the Englishman on in place of Valentin Carboni turned out to be a good move by De Zerbi, but a brilliant shot by Farid El Melali in the 54th minute left the Velodrome in disbelief, which lingered until the end of the match.

LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 7

Friday

Olympique Marseille - Angers 1-1 (0-0)

/Rowe 51 - El Melali 54/

Saturday

18.00: (2.80) Saint-Etienne (3.30) Auxerre (2.55)

20.00: (1.73) Lille (3.60) Toulouse (5.10)

22.00: (2.75) Rennes (3.35) Monaco (2.55)

Sunday

16.00: (1.80) Olympique Lyon (3.60) Nantes (4.60)

18.00: (1.90) Brest (3.60) Le Havre (4.50)

18.00: (1.85) Reims (3.60) Montpellier (4.30)

18.00: (2.95) Strasbourg (3.45) Lens (2.50)

21.45: (5.50) Nice (3.90) PSG (1.70)

***odds are subject to change***