OM - Servette (3-1) : OM win in front of the fans
THE FIRST HALF
How beautiful it is to see the stands filled, the stands alive and singing. It was the first time in a long time that the Olympians played in front of an audience. From the warm-up, the OM fans gave their voices. All the usual songs of the Orange Velodrome were sung, as if to warm up. Heat, there was no lack of it, despite the strong mistral wind that blew on the region. Jorge Sampaoli's men played against the wind for the first 45 minutes.
This did not prevent them from creating the first opportunity. After a good opening to Luis Henrique, the Brazilian shifted Payet in the center before slipping the ball to his right for Dieng. The striker missed his duel with the Swiss keeper Frick.
OM had control of the ball and dominated possession. Servette, well in place, left little space. However, a nice sequence of passes from Marseille ended with a shot off target by Gueye. Dieng had another opportunity after the half-hour mark but his shot was blocked.
The Swiss had only one real chance which was well taken by Ngapandouetnbu. The two teams went into halftime with a score of 0-0.
THE SECOND HALF
Jorge Sampaoli made a change at the break: Benedetto replaced Rongier. And Marseille came back with very good intentions from the start of the second half. Luis Henrique tried his luck but Frick was equal to it. Then Gerson received a ball from a free kick. The Brazilian struck the ball but Balerdi deflected his shot and it appeared to be on target.
The Olympians were quick to capitalize on their dominance with Kamara's right-footed pass to Gerson, who was on the edge of the box. The Brazilian cleverly flicked the ball past Frick to open the scoring. After the goal, Ünder came in for Dieng and De la Fuente replaced Henrique. It didn't take long for the Turkish striker to make his mark. A feint, which put a Swiss defender on the ground, followed by a shot pushed back by Frick and the crowd was on fire. A fervor that the equalization of Rodelin did not weaken. Especially since OM took the lead two minutes later by Benedetto well served by de la Fuente. Ünder came close to adding to the lead, but his superb left-footed shot crashed against Frick's goal.
For the last minutes of the game, Nadir, only 17 years old, replaced the first scorer, Gerson. In stoppage time, Benedetto pounced on a service from De la Fuente to add to the score. OM signed a third success in as many preparatory games in front of a nice atmosphere with a good show and a strong performance of Jorge Sampaoli's men.
