OM did the job. After the victories of Monaco and Lens, Olympique de Marseille won against the surprise Reims (1-2) this Sunday on the occasion of the 28th day of Ligue 1 and resumed their place of runner-up in the standings. Igor Tudor’s men are only seven points behind the Parisian leader, who fell at the Parc des Princes against Rennes this afternoon.
What you must remember
In a rhythmic and enjoyable match to watch, Rémois and Marseillais went blow for blow. From the second minute of play, Pau Lopez was pushed to the parade in front of the untenable Folarin Balogun. As usual, the Phocaeans pressed the ball carrier high and were hampered by the supersonic counterattacks from the Champenois. They also found the fault thanks to a goal from Balogun, on a center back from Munetsi (13th, 1-0). The striker on loan from Arsenal scored his 17th Ligue 1 goal of the season.
But the Marseillais equalized on a nice free kick from Alexis Sanchez who hit the post (17th, 1-1), before taking the lead at the half-hour mark (29th, 1-2). Will Still’s men, very offensive (17 shots, six on target) could have come back to score several times but Munetsi, on a caviar from Balogun (57th), and Alexis Flips, from afar, (62nd) stumbled on Pau Lopez (five stops). Balogun missed the match point with a header by hitting the post in added time (90+2′)
Player: Alexis Sanchez
He is undoubtedly the man of the match. Very restless in attack, the Chilean was a real nightmare for the Reims defenders and was a good relay for Under and Malinovskyi. Technically very fair, he was very valuable with his back to goal and in the orientation of the game. He also equalized with a magnificent free kick (16th), before scoring twice on a high raise from Pau Lopez (29th), his third of the season.
The number: 19
Undefeated for 19 matches in Ligue 1 (nine wins and ten draws), i.e. almost half of a championship, Stade de Reims experienced its first defeat against OM since September 18, 2022 against Monaco (0-3).