Marseille Draws with Lorient: Second Straight Ligue 1 Draw for OM

Marseille Draws with Lorient: Second Straight Ligue 1 Draw for OM[expander_maker id=”1″ ]

Despite an impressive run of away performances, Olympique de Marseille (OM) was held to a goalless draw by Lorient on Sunday, in the final match of the Ligue 1 30th round. This is the second time the club has shared points in a row. The Phocéens were unable to find the back of the net, leaving them two points behind Lens (second place), and missing the opportunity to extend their lead over Monaco, who trail them by just five points in fourth position. It is another missed opportunity for Marseille, who will have regrets about their performance this season, but they cannot afford to lose more points. Small lapses can quickly add up, and may have already cost them the Ligue 1 title, which was within their reach earlier in the season. With only two points separating them from Lens, Marseille cannot afford to make mistakes with just one week to go before PSG takes on Lens.

Marseille Struggles to Score

Against Lorient, the Phocéens struggled to find openings in their opponents’ defence, and were plagued by inaccuracy when they did find a way through, only managing to get two of their 13 shots on target. It was Lorient who had the better chances throughout the match. Romain Faivre was denied twice by Pau Lopez in the first half (sixth and 21st minute). Bamba Dieng, Marseille’s striker, forced the Spanish goalkeeper into an outstanding save in the 63rd minute, with a pivot strike from a poorly cleared ball by Kolasinac. The former Roma goalkeeper then made two consecutive saves from Stéphane Diarra (83rd) and Ibrahima Koné (89th) before diving to make a crucial stop on a close-angle shot from the Malian striker in stoppage time (90+3 minute). In contrast, Vito Mannone, Lorient’s keeper, had only two saves to make: from a shot by Under (12th), which was taken from the right side of the box, and a tentative shot from Tavares (80th).

Despite mounting pressure on the Lorient goal towards the end of the first half, with multiple chances from Under (36th), Balerdi (37th) and Tavares (40th), the Marseille attackers found themselves blocked by the resolute Lorient defence, which kept them at bay repeatedly. The Talbi-Meïté pairing broke up many of the OM attacks, leaving the Marseille squad to finish the match without scoring a goal for only the fourth time this season.

Offensive Concerns for Marseille

Marseille’s draw with Lorient has played a role in the club’s recent downturn. With two straight draws, and three draws in the last four matches, OM has dropped points that may end up costing them second place. At this point, they are just three points ahead of Monaco, who allowed a 2-0 lead to slip and ended up with a 2-2 draw against Nantes on the same day.[/expander_maker]