Jorge Sampaoli chose to line up an eleven in 3-5-2 with Ngapandouetnbu in the goals, the trio Balerdi, Alvaro, Amavi in front of him, the quintet Rongier, Kamara, Gueye, Gerson and Luis Henrique in the middle and a duo of attack composed of Dieng and Payet. An eleven which was also the same as that offered against Sète (2-1).
Very happy to find the public, the Marseille players however had to deal with a strong mistral. Did this have an influence on their debut? Still, apart from a counter-attack led by Luis Henrique and concluded with a strike from Bamba Dieng (7th), OM did not offer much, even if Dieng was very restless. Sharper than their adversaries, the Swiss made themselves more pressing in the Marseille camp, without worrying Ngapandouetnbu for all that.
At the break, the Marseillais were too messy. The two midfielders Gerson and Pape Gueye did not dare too much and only Bamba Dieng was active in all directions, but without success against Frick, the opposing goalkeeper. When you return from the changing rooms, a change of scenery. OM took advantage of a decline in Servette’s power to create more danger. Then, after an alert signed Luis Henrique (48th), Gerson took advantage of an offering from Boubacar Kamara to go and score his first goal under the colors of Marseille with a nice dive (1-0, 54th).
The opening of the score is Marseille @OM_Officiel and it’s signed Gerson! ⚽️
Follow the end of#OMSFC on CANAL + SPORT ???? pic.twitter.com/YTu0MoKre5
— Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) July 15, 2021
Cengiz Ünder and Konrad de la Fuente make a strong impression
More domineering, OM could then see two of their recruits at work: Cengiz Ünder and Konrad de la Fuente. The young Turk on loan from AS Roma, positioned on the right side, was also the first to stand out. Entering the hour mark, he signed two class actions: a “Thauvin” (transplanted in the center to try a coiled shot) and a feint which left the defender of Servette on the buttocks. Not paid, just like his left missile sent to the Servette transverse (86th). For his part, de la Fuente, entered in the 68th minute, attended the equalizer of Ronny Rodelin (1-1, 77th) before delivering two assists for Dario Benedetto (80th, 90th + 1).
OM therefore won 3 goals to 1 (their third consecutive friendly success) and had reason to be optimistic. Dimitri Payet appeared very sharp and already ready to do battle, Cengiz Ünder signed several high-profile actions and Konrad de la Fuente was twice decisive for a Benedetto who could finally benefit from the arrival of all these balloon suppliers of quality. In short, technically, this OM 2021/2022 promises to be much more pleasant to watch!
Relive the film of the OM-Servette meeting
