‘Olimpico’ ends in draw

Claud · Dec 16, 2008

Olympique Lyonnais 0-0 Olympique de Marseille

In a tense match at the Stade de Gerland, arch-rivals Lyon and Marseille locked horns in a stalemate, much to the advantage of chasing sides Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain.

Expectations were high in this top-of-the-table clash that shaped up as one of the games of the season. The stakes were high as well, with second-placed Marseille looking to steal top spot from Lyon (on goal difference) with a win and Lyon looking to widen their narrow lead.
Perhaps the stakes were too high and the risk of losing too great, as both sides placed the emphasis on defence throughout the match, resulting in a tense and hard-fought midfield battle that yielded few clear-cut chances on goal at either end of the pitch.

While both coaches will be happy with the strong performance from their backlines, notably Ghana international John Mensah for Lyon and Brazilian Vitorino Hilton for Marseille, there will be some regrets on both sides in terms of the attacking performances.

Lyon captain Juninho was uncharacteristically imprecise with the dead ball and superstar Karim Benzema having to come from deep on many occasions to get a touch. For Marseille, their small forwards Mathieu Valbuena, Bakari Koné and Karim Ziani were well marshalled by Lyon's Fabio Grosso, Cris and Jean-Alain Boumsong.

The boxed-in game was played out in midfield, where crunching tackles and tight marking saw every ball hotly contested and possession changing in rapid succession despite both sides' best efforts to open up play and make the break.

The much-hyped return to Gerland of former Lyon prodigy Hatem Ben Arfa was in the end of little consequence, with the Marseille midfielder, whistled at every opportunity by the home fans following his strong criticism of Lyon during the week, kept quiet by Lyon's resolute defensive bloc and by defensive midfielder Jérémy Toulalan in particular.

Keen to make the difference against his former club, the young forward tried in vain to take on the Lyon defence by himself, to the annoyance of his team-mates, and he was replaced by Burkina Faso international Charles Kaboré with ten minutes to go.

Despite both coaches making all three substitutions midway through the second half in an effort to break the deadlock, the score remained 0-0 at the final whistle.

While the draw sees Lyon hold on to top spot, and Marseille to second, it would appear that the drawn result is more to the benefit of the chasing pack than to either Lyon or Marseille. Bordeaux and Paris, who both won this weekend, are now equal with Marseille on 32 points (in third and fourth place respectively, on goal difference), just three points behind Lyon.
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I was expecting a bit more from this match... but oh well fun game to watch.

M Two One · Dec 17, 2008

I thought the match was a snooze. I watched a replay of it and there were only three shots on goal in total.

CelticKing · Dec 17, 2008

Did Cana play? lol

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‘Olimpico’ ends in draw

Claud Legendary

M Two One Halló Veröld!

CelticKing The Green Monster

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‘Olimpico’ ends in draw

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Claud Legendary

M Two One Halló Veröld!

CelticKing The Green Monster

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