OM - Bordeaux (3-1) : The series continues!
THE OLYMPIAN STARTING XI
Two changes were to be noted in the Olympian composition to face Bordeaux. Alvaro Gonzalez made his comeback as a central defender alongside Duje Caleta-Car. Injured in training and suffering from a muscular contracture, Dario Benedetto was unable to hold his place against the Girondins: he was therefore replaced by Valère Germain at the front of the attack. The number 28 was surrounded by Bouna Sarr and Dimitri Payet. Jordan Amavi and Hiroki Sakai held their usual positions and the Olympian midfielder was Morgan Sanson, Boubacar Kamara and Valentin Rongier. Captain Steve Mandanda was guarding the Olympian goal. The ceremonial kick-off was given by Djamel Belmadi, current coach of Algeria, winner of the 2019 CAF Africa Cup of Nations and former Olympian.
THE FIRST PERIOD
While OM dominated the game by far, spending half of their time in the Bordeaux camp, they were surprised on the half-hour mark. Adli opened the scoring for the Girondins with a tense shot that hit Mandanda's left post and ended up in the net. However, the Olympians had been dangerous until then, particularly on Rongier's (21st) long-range shots, which had been twice blocked. Villas-Boas' men kept pushing until the end of the first half without being rewarded. A Payet strike concluded a nice collective movement but Costil remained vigilant.
Pressing payS OFF
The Olympians entered the second half with incredible energy, stifling the Bordeaux side and pushing them to the brink. OM got a corner. The latter, struck by Payet to perfection, was placed on Amavi's skull, unstoppable for Costil. The Olympians' constant pressure did not allow the Bordeaux side to get away and on a ball badly thrown by Pablo, Morgan Sanson picked up the ball and went on to unleash a powerful shot that went into Costil's net. With full confidence, the Olympians continued to attack and did not hesitate to try subtle moves, like Payet who saw Costil advanced, and who tried a distant lob which unfortunately went narrowly over the bar. In added time, Radonjic, on a five-star service from Rongier, scored Marseille's third goal. What a game once again!
THE PERFORMANCE OF AMAVI
Jordan Amavi scored his very first goal against Bordeaux for OM in the Ligue 1 Conforama. A nice header to deliver to the 52079 spectators present at the Orange Velodrome a moment to remember. Since joining OM, the Olympian left-back had only scored one goal in the French Cup against Valenciennes in the 2017-18 season.
OM, SOLID IN SECOND
This Sunday evening, OM scored their sixth consecutive win! This incredible series of victories allowed them to consolidate their second place in the championship. Villas-Boas' men now have 34 points and a 6-point lead over their pursuers. There are only two small matches left in 2019 for the Olympians: a trip to Metz and then the reception against Nîmes.
