It floated like a scent of déjà vu on Saturday evening at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps. When Ulisses Garcia headed to the locker room in the 65th minute for a foot too high on Casimir, all of Marseille shuddered. The ghosts of last winter resurfaced: Derek Cornelius being sent off in the same stadium, a humiliating defeat, and Pablo Longoria losing his temper by accusing the referee of corruption, which earned him a memorable suspension. Auxerre had become the absolute beast, two victories last season, a living nightmare. But this time, history was written differently. Reduced to ten men for half an hour, OM held on thanks to a heroic Geronimo Rulli and left Burgundy with three unexpected points (0-1). Enough to erase the scars and above all climb to second place in the ranking.
Gomes finally wakes up
The match was nothing like a recital. Marseille struggled to impose its game against the eye-catching and dangerous Burgundians. From the 23rd minute, Coulibaly forced Rulli into a first serious save, reminding us that the Icaunais trap remained very real. But six minutes later, Murillo finally lit the fuse. The Brazilian winger eliminated two defenders on his lane before crossing in front of the goal. Donovan Léon pushed back weakly at the feet of Angel Gomes, and the English midfielder did not tremble to open the scoring. A valuable achievement which rewarded the efforts of a team diminished by absences – eight players were missing, and Nayef Aguerd was even injured during the warm-up. In such a complicated context, this goal came at just the right time for the Phocaeans looking for guidance after three games without a victory.
OM finally exorcises the Burgundian ghost
Rulli, the Argentinian wall
Garcia’s expulsion could have changed everything. The Swiss, who was making his first start since August, saw his return spoiled by an unfortunate gesture validated by the VAR. From then on, Auxerre took the game into their own hands, increasing their attacks against a Marseille defense which was falling back dangerously. But that was without counting on Rulli. The Argentinian goalkeeper stood as an impassable bulwark, twice repelling Osman’s attempts (58th, 76th) in face-offs which could have changed everything. In added time, Sinayoko volleyed into the outside net while all of Abbé-Deschamps believed in it. The Olympian goalkeeper had just saved the furniture and offered De Zerbi his first victory against the Icaunais.
Monaco stumbles, OM takes advantage
This narrow victory allows Marseille to breathe after trying weeks and take advantage of Monaco’s misstep, beaten at home by Paris FC (0-1). The Phocaeans thus move into second place in the ranking, finally finding their smile before the schedule gets tough. Because if the Burgundian ghosts are exorcised, the real passing exam will take place on Wednesday against Atalanta in the Champions League. De Zerbi knows that his team will have to show a completely different face to hope to shine in Europe. But for now, the main thing was elsewhere: to no longer tremble in front of Auxerre and to leave this cursed Burgundy with our heads held high. Mission accomplished.
