Liverpool went to Marseille to wait. Against the tradition that Jürgen Klopp instilled in them, the team settled in their field to let the Olympique de Marseille would control the ball. So it was that OM started the plays and withstood the counterattacks until in a foul, after the break, Szoboszlai put a free kick under the barrier that was deceived. A party that confirmed English hegemony on the continent did not have much more history. With one last night of the league to go next Wednesday, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea finished the day installed in the top eight of the Champions League. In the select group that qualifies directly for the round of 16, the English are only accompanied by Bayern, Madrid and PSG. Only City, of the Premier League representatives, was left out of the fast track peloton. The defeat against Bodo (3-1) on Tuesday inspired their players so much shame that they decided to return the ticket money to the fans.
The Marseille match graced the Velodrome as usual. The field was filled and OM played on the attack against a rival that has become a conservative team. Lacking refinement and daring in attacks, Arne Slot, their coach, has withdrawn his players so that the rival can create the spaces. That’s what De Zerbi’s OM did, with his tortuous ball exit maneuvers. Balerdi and Kondogbia were exposed to the error, and Mason Greenwood faced, excited at the reunion with his old Premier rivals. But Van Dijk’s stockade held firm.
Salah returned to the starting lineup in the Champions League after two months of litigation and absences for the African Cup. But his contribution was little. As poor as Wirtz’s in a match that was decided by a foul and an error by Rulli, who scored the goal in an attack by Frimpong. In other matches of the day, Newcastle beat PSV (3-0), Bayern beat Union Saint-Giloise 2-0, Chelsea beat Pafos (1-0) and Juve asserted themselves against Benfica (2-0).
£9,357
The defeat of Manchester City, beaten 3-1 on Tuesday by Bodo Glimt, caused unusual consequences. “It was a shame,” confessed Erling Haaland, after the fantastic performance of his Norwegian countrymen’s team. Pep Guardiola asked his players after the game to go to the corner of the stands where they were cheered on by the more than 300 English fans who had traveled to Norway. It was the beginning of a curious act of contrition. This Wednesday, the City captains announced that they would return the money to the fans for the 374 tickets sold to their followers and registered by the club. In total, £9,357 [unos 10.700 euros]25 pounds per ticket.
Glimt, Europe’s revelation team, received City in the remote Norwegian town of Bodo, north of the polar circle. He won 3-1 but could have won 5-1. The players’ response was to return the money to the fans. The captains, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland, released a statement: “Our fans mean everything to us. We know the sacrifice they make when they travel around the world to support us and we never take it for granted. They are the best fans there are and we recognize that they made a long trip to cheer us on in the freezing cold of the game on a very difficult night for us on the field. Paying them the cost of the tickets is the least we can do.”
