Bordeaux 0-1 Marseille: Cengiz Under pounces on error to end long wait for away win and take visitors second in Ligue 1
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Updated 07/01/2022 at 23:20 GMT
Ligue 1, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux - Bordeaux 0 Marseille 1 (Under 37')
Marseille forward Cengiz Under (left) celebrates with midfielder Amine Harit after making it 1-0 to the visitors at the Matmut Atlantique
Image credit: Getty Images
Marseille have ended a 44-year winless run in away games against Bordeaux with a 1-0 victory at the Matmut Atlantique, a result which sees them rise above OGC Nice and retake second place in Ligue 1.
The hosts requested to have this game postponed owing to a Covid outbreak which had deprived them of 17 members of their first-team squad and were unhappy at having to play.
Speaking before the match, Bordeaux sporting director Admar Lopes said: “The players are entertainers and we do not respect their physical and psychological state… I am very disappointed with the situation.”
Marseille were utterly dominant from the start, playing keep-ball for long periods and creating a steady stream of chances. Come the end of the first half, they had amassed 72 per cent possession and taken nine shots to Bordeaux’s one.
Only one of those shots was on target, however, with Marseille hugely wasteful in attack. With the match taking place behind closed doors, the tempo was more reminiscent of a training game than a contest between old rivals.
When Marseille finally went ahead with 37 minutes on the clock, it was mainly thanks to Bordeaux goalkeeper Benoit Costil. He shanked a goal kick straight to Cengiz Under, who skipped forwards, rounded Stian Rode Gregersen and smashed a shot into the far corner.
Bordeaux could have equalised massively against the run of play before the break, Amine Harit losing the ball in midfield and Hwang Ui-jo going clear only for the Korean forward to blaze over.
While Les Girondins improved after the restart and put Marseille under sporadic pressure, they struggled to create clear-cut chances and the visitors held on to beat them on the road for the first time since 1977.
TALKING POINT
Covid chaos. While Bordeaux fans will be gutted to lose their long unbeaten record against Marseille at home, it will rankle even more given the circumstances. With a depleted squad at his disposal, Vladimir Petkovic ended up fielding an inexperienced midfield pairing of Tom Lacoux and Issouf Sissokho, both 19, at the heart of an unfamiliar-looking team.
They struggled to establish any rhythm in the middle of the park and, ultimately, Marseille were able to dictate the tempo. It was a sorry way for Bordeaux to end their historic home run, but it also felt vaguely inevitable.
MAN OF THE MATCH
William Saliba (Marseille). Despite Marseille’s clear superiority for much of the game, their attackers didn’t come out of it with much credit. Other than Under, who showed impressive vision and composure to score the winner, their forwards were unfocused and scattergun in front of goal.
Luckily, at the back, Les Olympiens were rock solid even as Bordeaux started to show some fighting spirit in the second half. While Duje Caleta-Car and William Saliba were both excellent at centre-back, winning their aerial duels and stifling Bordeaux’s limited offensive threat, Saliba stood out for his driving runs into midfield and willingness to initiate attacks.
PLAYER RATINGS
Bordeaux: Costil 4, Kwateng 5, Mexer 5, Gregersen 4, Pembele 5, Oudin 4, Sissokho 4, Lacoux 4, Dilrosun 4, Hwang 4, Elis 5
Subs: Mara 5, Adli 5, Fransergio 5, Niang 4, Bakwa 5
Marseille: Lopez 6, Luan Peres 6, Caleta-Car 7, Saliba 8, Lirola 6, Harit 5, Kamara 6, Guendouzi 6, Luis Henrique 5, Payet 6, Under 7
Subs: Balerdi 5, De La Fuente 6, Targhalline N/A
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
8’ SALIBA MARAUDING FORWARDS. If there are any Arsenal fans following this game on account of Saliba and Guendouzi, both of them have looked impressive so far. Saliba has made several forays into midfield in an attempt to get things going, but Marseille continue to look tentative up front.
11’ CALETA-CAR HITS THE POST! Under wins a corner for Marseille after they overload the right flank once again. Payet steps up and slashes a ball into the box which falls for Caleta-Car at the far post, but he can only skim the frame of the goal.
37’ GOAL! Having failed to find a way through themselves, Marseille finally have the lead thanks to Costil. He scoops a goal kick straight to Under, who scampers forwards, goes round Gregersen and lashes into the far corner.
42’ HUGE CHANCE FOR BORDEAUX! Harit loses the ball in midfield and Bordeaux are away, Hwang tearing through the gaping hole in Marseille’s defence. He goes one-on-one with Lopez but, just as it looks like the hosts might snatch an equaliser, he fluffs his attempted finish.
KEY STATS
- The last player to score a winner for Marseille away from home against Bordeaux was Victor Zvunka. He is now 70 years old and, in the interim, has found the time to manage 22 different clubs.
- When Marseille last beat Bordeaux away, Jorge Sampaoli was a 17-year-old academy prospect at Newell’s Old Boys. Meanwhile, Petkovic was 14 and still at school.
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