A real misunderstanding. Beaten without really fighting by Liverpool this Wednesday in the Champions League (0-3), Olympique de Marseille shot themselves in the foot by conceding the opener just before the break, conceding a mischievous free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Ideally placed at 25 m, the Reds midfielder preferred to hit low, under the wall, rather than trying his luck in force. A profitable choice, since all the Marseille players jumped, leaving him free reign. But what all the spectators noticed was the absence on the Marseille side of a player lying behind the wall, as tradition has required for several years to prevent shooters from hitting the ground.
A flaw spotted by Szoboszlai, who did not hide it in the mixed zone after the game. “Yes, I had done my homework,” he smiled at the microphone of TNT Sports. “I was told that if no player lay down, I could have a chance to shoot under the wall. No one laid down so I tried and yes, it worked. »
“The goalkeeper was listened to”
On the Marseille side, this oversight with significant consequences was blamed on a lack of communication. “We didn’t understand each other, I think,” Hamed Junior Traoré told Canal + after the game. “I won’t be able to tell you. Normally, we put someone down (on the free kick), I can’t explain it, it’s complicated…”
On the other hand, Roberto De Zerbi partly attributed the responsibility for the error to his goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli. “We took a stupid first goal,” denounced the Olympian coach on Canal +. “No one went to bed, we organized ourselves this way… The goalkeeper was listened to, he preferred that there be none. But at that moment, if there is no crocodile (the player lying down), you must not jump. »
One thing is certain: this error of judgment cost OM dearly, who will have to validate their qualification for the play-offs in Bruges during the 8th and final day on Wednesday January 28.
