From the dream of an unexpected heist to the nightmare of a cruel and controversial defeat. Olympique de Marseille, unrecognizable and destitute for 90 minutes, lost (0-1) against Atalanta Bergamo on a killer goal from Samardžić in added time. A logical setback in view of the football mush on offer, but which will leave a taste of terrible injustice, the defeat having been decided by a fatal refereeing sequence: an obvious penalty refused to the Phocaeans, immediately followed by the Italian goal. The Vélodrome went through a real ordeal.
An unworthy performance, Rulli as a temporary savior
Because we must not hide our faces: for almost 90 minutes, this OM was unworthy of the Champions League. Amputated by numerous frames, certainly, but above all apathetic, without ideas, incapable of stringing together three passes, De Zerbi’s men delivered an indigestible copy. Drafts, hampered by the Italian pressing, they suffered the events. And without a Gerónimo Rulli on the big nights, the score should have been much heavier much earlier. The Argentine goalkeeper, after causing a penalty, brilliantly redeemed himself by stopping it in front of De Ketelaere (13th), miraculously keeping his team afloat.
This warning never woke up OM. Dominated in all areas, the Marseillais continued to suffer, seeing Krstović (35th) then Bellanova (49th) miss the inevitable. The five-man defense set up by De Zerbi was taking on water from all sides. It took a new helping hand from destiny, this gift falling from the sky, to believe it again: a perfectly valid goal from Lookman canceled by the VAR for a totally imaginary passive offside from Krstović (69th). The Vélodrome exulted, relieved, beginning to believe in an improbable point of a miraculous draw.
Hojbjerg and OM delivered an insipid match against Atalanta.
The turning point of the match: the forgotten penalty
Carried by this feeling of baraka and the entry of the young and lively Robinio Vaz, OM tried to be more incisive in the last quarter of an hour, but without ever really worrying the Bergamo goalkeeper. And then came the turning point, this game event which will cause so much ink to flow. In the 89th minute, on a rare Marseille offensive, Ederson’s hand in the area seemed obvious. The Vélodrome was screaming for a penalty. But the Spanish referee, despite the intervention of his VAR colleagues, decided not to flinch, judging the hand involuntary. An incomprehensible decision.
Football is sometimes cruel. In the action which followed this forgotten penalty, Atalanta launched a final offensive. Lazar Samardžić, at the edge of the area, fired a clear shot which deceived Rulli (90th). 0-1. From a potential unexpected victory ball to a logical but frustrating defeat, the Vélodrome had just slipped into a nightmare.
Regrets and few hopes
OM therefore logically bows in view of its failed performance, recalling its worst European hours. But the way this defeat took shape in the final minutes is terribly infuriating. With only 3 points in 4 games and a complicated schedule ahead, the chances of seeing the play-offs are diminishing considerably. Tonight, Marseille lost much more than a match; he may have lost his European illusions.
