The match: 3-0
This European week will remain cruel for French football. Two days after the elimination of the great Parisian rival in the Champions League, OM also stopped at the semi-final stage in the Europa League. Uncomfortable away from home in Ligue 1 this season, as in C3, where it only won one match, the Olympian club traveled to Bergamo on Thursday with the hope of doing better than its draw of the first leg, against Atalanta (1-1). The Italian team had experienced serious difficulties at the Vélodrome last Thursday, but this time they clearly raised their level of play: they stifled the Marseillais from the start, disoriented and ultimately largely beaten (0-3).
Gian Piero Gasperini’s players quickly set a very intense pace for their French opponents, overwhelmed by the splits of the Bergamo pistons. So OM suffered, and suffered a lot. He almost cracked in the sixth minute on a post found by Charles De Ketelaere on which Pau Lopez had slightly deflected the ball. The Spanish goalkeeper was one of the rare Marseillais to rise to the level of transalpine adversity. He made some welcome saves but also took advantage of the clumsiness of the Atalanta attackers, notably Gianluca Scamacca, who crossed his attempt too far (16th) and found the bar from close range following a corner where Chancel Mbemba demanded a fault (24th).
It is logical that Lopez and OM broke down in the 30th, on a two-on-three counter-attack led by Ademola Lookman. The Nigerian international destabilized Geoffrey Kondogbia and sent a shot from the edge of the area which Samuel Gigot unfortunately deflected into the goal. And Atalanta didn’t stop there. Lookman stumbled while sliding in front of Lopez (34th) then the goalkeeper made another save in front of De Ketelaere from close range (36th) before Scamacca, twenty meters away, missed the target (40th).
The second period was less rich in opportunities, but it offered its first situation to OM, when Iliman N’Diaye went behind Berat Djimsiti’s back but the Marseille striker’s lob was not on target, and the Senegalese may really regret it (see below). In the process, Matteo Ruggeri released the shot he needed: right in the top corner on a cross shot (52nd). Shy, timid, the Marseillais then had a little more space, without however taking advantage of it. They also lacked success, since Jordan Veretout’s long free kick hit the bar (63rd). It wasn’t enough. They gave in a third time in added time on a nice cross strike from former Rémois El-Bilal Touré (90th+5). After dreaming of a sixth continental final, he is brought back to the reality of the race for Europe via Ligue 1.
1
OM only had one shot on target in Bergamo, and it waited until the 82nd minute, on a free kick from Jordan Veretout directly into the arms of Juan Musso.
The fact: N’Diaye’s miss
We will be careful not to say that this occasion was the turning point of the match, but it certainly had an impact on the scenario of this meeting. Unable to get a clear chance in the first half, Marseille thought they could equalize after the locker room, when Jonathan Clauss cleverly deflected a lateral pass from Chancel Mbemba to launch the speedy Iliman N’Diaye deep. The Senegalese international easily put his body past Berat Djimsiti, and gave the impression of having done the hard part. Thanks to his speed, he gave himself time to choose how he was going to try to deceive Musso. But he was sorely lacking in precision. A few minutes later, OM lost their footing.
