Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain finally competed for their classic this Monday evening, after 24 hours of suspense and bad weather. In a filled and boiling velodrome, the Marseillais aligned an offensive 3-4-3 where Greenwood, Gouiri and Peaceão multiplied the calls while Rulli held the cage. Opposite, PSG had chosen a 3-5-2 with a knight in the goals and the duo Ramos-Kvaratskhelia in front. The meeting had started on the wheel hats with the opening of Nayef Aguerd's rapid score, who had taken advantage of a deviated center from Greenwood and a missed knight out to mark the head in the 5th minute. In the process, Amine Gouiri had found the bar (25th), Vitinha had forced Rulli (17th) to work and Emerson Palmieri had seen his goal refused for offside (28th), illustrating a first period with very high pace and on the numerous occasions on both sides.
The Phocaeans had continued to push with a volley of Peaceão who had brushed the frame just before the break (45th+3), while Kvaratskhelia, on the Parisian side, had tried to wake up his team with an individual action with power and finesse (31st). In this first act, Marseille had known how to exploit his physical superiority and his aggressive pressing to shake up the Ile -de -France block, while being solid defensively around the trio Pavard – Balerdi – Aguerd. Despite some lightnings of the duo Ramos – Kvaratskhelia, PSG had struggled to find the fault in a meeting where the intensity and the tension had reflected the stake and the particular context of this postponed classic. At the break, OM had logically led 1-0 and validated a first half of rare intensity.
The Phocaeans resisted
In the second half, Paris Saint-Germain prompted to return to the score against grouped but still threatening Marseillais. From the time of play, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found a relay on the left and, after a against O'riley, Achraf Hakimi saw his recovery pushed by a superb stop by Gerónimo Rulli. The Marseille goalkeeper was then asked on two distant strikes from Vitinha, first in the 72nd and then in the 86th minute, the Portuguese attempting twice his chance from afar without succeeding in frame or deceive the Argentinian goalkeeper. This constant pressure gave rise to a tense end of the match, the OM contenting himself with counterattack while defending his advantage acquired very early, as on this phase where Aubameyang was narrowly stopped (85th).
The atmosphere has mounted a notch in the last minutes, when Roberto de Zerbi was excluded at the 90th+1 to challenge after a fault of Achraf Hakimi. The Marseille coach, who demanded a card, received a warning and then an immediate expulsion from the referee. This incident froze the intensity of this already electric classic a little more and marked by the exceptional conditions of the last 24 hours. Despite these tensions, Marseille has held its advantage, displaying defensive solidity at all times and a decisive rull to contain the Parisian assaults until additional time. After 12 suite defeats against PSG at the Vélodrome, OM locked a precious success.
