Marseille and Monaco cancel each other out in intense 1-1 draw

  • by Sebastian Oliveira
  • |

Share

Marseille and Monaco put on a tale of two halves, holding each other to a 1-1 draw in a highly anticipated matchup between third and fourth place in Ligue 1. 

The first meeting between these two in November promised an intense affair, and both teams delivered. Monaco sought revenge after Saed Kolasinac’s 98th minute winner to seal the 3-2 victory, knowing three points pulled them within reaching distance of the Champions League spots. Meanwhile, Marseille were determined to defend their fortress, widen the comfortable gap they held above Monaco, and complete the season sweep for the first time since 2007/2008.

The intensity was there from kickoff, with both teams keen to get the most out of this game. Monaco came out the most threatening of the two, carving out two incredible chances in the first five minutes.
However, Eliesse Ben Seghir’s rebound shot and Vanderson’s mistimed finish from a cross both failed to get past Rubén Blancok. Marseille’s Ruslan Mainovsky replied with a strong, low strike from about 30 yards out, but it was directed at the center of Alexander Nübel’s goal, making it a simple save for the German goalie and keeping the game scoreless.  

Monaco continued to have the slight upper hand, constantly finding spaces in between and behind Marseille’s back line. Captain Wissam Ben Yedder nearly opened the scoring in the 15th minute in that fashion, but pulled his shot wide of the far post. 

The pressure from the visitors ultimately paid off just a couple minutes later, when Aleksandr Golovin’s tall, looping free kick found the head of Marseille’s Jordan Veretout. The midfielder, who equalized in November’s thriller between these two, put just enough on the header to mistakenly guide it into his own net. 

 

Halfway through the first half you would’ve been surprised to learn that Marseille held nearly 60% of the possession by that point. Monaco had effortlessly maintained control of the tempo with a concentrated balance of defensive structure and proactive off-the-ball movement. This meant most of Marseille’s possession consisted of basic lateral passes from side to side, just barely breaching the Monaco box if at all.

This opened up the majority of countering opportunities for Monaco, which almost bore fruit in the 28th minute. A misplaced Marseille pass turned quickly into Monaco’s Krepin Diatta streaking in behind, cutting into the center of the box and forcing an impressive save from Blanco.

The Spanish keeper was back in action no more than a minute later. Diatta deflected an innocuous Marseille pass to Ben Yedder, putting him one-on-one with Blanco, who instinctively saved the first shot and hopelessly watched the second miss the far post by inches. 

This Monaco dominance wasn’t necessarily due to Marseille not playing well. The hosts were finding good positions in between the lines and moving the ball swiftly for the most part. The difference lied in Marseille failing to find that final pass or two, and getting harshly punished for their mistakes. 

Marseille pressed hard for an equalizer on the march to half time, but the barrage of crosses and shots into the box did little to cause Nübel any further trouble.

The second half started as intensely as the first, with one major difference. Marseille drove their possession deeper and deeper into Monaco’s half, and it took less than two minutes for it to pay off. 

The ball cycled out to Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares, who’s first time shot forced a save out of Nübel. The subsequent rebound fell to Alexis Sanchez,  another member of Marseille’s Arsenal coalition, who made no mistake in burying the equalizer. 

Tavares and Sanchez continued to be stone and flint, sparking the ignition of the majority of Marseille attacking moves. Monaco continued to hold their defensive structure, but Marseille rode the momentum into each tackle and contested ball, winning the duels that were leaving them exposed in the first half. 

Slight controversy arose in the 63rd minute, when Marseille’s Valentin Rongier nearly had a Gerard-esque slip along the back line. Ben Seghir pounced on the big touch, and though Rongier recovered, he appeared to drag the Monaco forward down to win the ball back. Referee Jérémie Pignard resisted calling a foul, waiting for the next stop in play to check on Ben Seghir, who remained down as the play resumed. 

The foul, while not directly a cause, marked the beginning of the game opening up again. The teams traded chances in the 70th minute, with Tavares whiffing a wide open half-volley on one end and Golovin forcing a block after a lengthy counterattack  and shot. 

The hosts were inches from taking the lead just two minutes later, when substitute Leonardo Balerdi got on the end of a Marseille set piece and sent his header straight onto the crossbar. 

The format of the first half was very similar to that of the first, with vastly different results. Marseille were controlling the possession but actually carving out meaningful chances. Monaco sprung counterattacks where Marseille were vulnerable, but the potency of each move diminished as the game went on. 

The atmosphere and energy, both on the field and in the stands, as the match entered the final stages. Subs on both sides provided some fresh legs for each attack, with Dimitri Payet nearly giving the hosts the lead with a late half volley that met the same fate as the earlier effort from Tavares. 

Neither team felt compelled to allow the other even a sniff of a chance at a winner, electing to each commit flurries of “professional” fouls that would stifle any attack as it started. 

This stalemate held on through the final whistle, which saw Monaco leave the field much happier than Marseille despite the gap between the two staying at five points. The result leaves the door open for league leaders PSG to extend their first place lead to five points ahead of runners-up Lens, and seven points ahead of Marseille.

Recent Posts

Recent Tweets

Picture of Sebastian Oliveira

Sebastian Oliveira