Marseille arrived in Troyes with little room left for another stumble, and left with the kind of result that can quiet a difficult week. A 2-0 win on Sunday night ended a run without victory since the home success against Strasbourg on 21 August, although the evening began with a tense exchange involving Geoffrey Kondogbia in the visiting section.
A testing night turns Marseille’s way
- Before kick-off in the final match of Ligue 1’s sixth round, Kondogbia approached a Marseille supporter in the away enclosure after an apparent verbal confrontation.
- The 33-year-old midfielder asked the fan to show respect. The supporter replied that he had not insulted him, but had told him: “You are not good, that’s all.”
- Kondogbia then returned to his warm-up. He was making his return from injury and had not played since Marseille’s defeat to Monaco on 30 August.
- Marseille took control after the interval when Amine Harit scored in the 50th minute.
- Kondogbia entered the match in the 86th minute, completing his comeback after more than a month away.
- Himad Abdelli converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, in the 98th minute, to seal the 2-0 away victory.
Genesio calls for momentum
Head coach Bruno Genesio accepted that Marseille had not produced their sharpest football in the Aube, but stressed the value of getting the result after a difficult spell.
“We know we can improve in our play and that it was not our best match,” Genesio said. “But we won this one, so we have to be pragmatic.”
The Marseille coach was pleased to see his side return to winning ways, while admitting that nerves had shaped much of the first half. His team had possession but lacked penetration and took few risks, particularly towards the interval.
“We need to put together a positive run,” Genesio said. “At the end of the first half, especially, we looked stressed and timid with the ball. We had possession but did not move forward much. This sort of win can give us confidence again.”
European task next
Marseille now turn quickly towards Europe, with Olympiakos due at the Stade Vélodrome in the Europa League on Thursday. They then travel to Angers next Sunday in Ligue 1, looking to make the Troyes win the first step rather than an isolated escape.
