At the Velodrome stadium,
A Dimitri Payet with mixed feelings. Saturday afternoon, against AC Ajaccio, last in Ligue 1, Igor Tudor’s players did not delay in opening the scoring, thanks to a penalty quickly converted by number 10 (13th). The Olympique de Marseille midfielder thus became the first Ligue 1 player to total 100 goals and 100 assists, thanks to his penalty scored early in the game.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and unfortunately I couldn’t do it at the end of last season because I was injured. Today it happened, I’m happy and proud, because I’m the first to do it. It is a trace that I could leave in this championship. It was a personal goal, so I’m happy to have done it because it marks an important milestone in a career, ”savored Dimitri Payet.
“Difficult to explain what happened”
Despite this historic record, the Reunionese was “angry”, “because we are leading 1-0 at home, the road was set for a beautiful afternoon but we manage to be surprised”. Because paradoxically, this opener from Dimitri Payet coincided with the gradual disintegration of his team, “it’s really the goal that changed the match”, even underlined Igor Tudor: “We thought maybe we were going to put 2 or 3”. Except that the Marseillais were put to sleep by Ajacciens, who had a “perfect match”, still according to the OM coach, and it was the opposite that finally happened. First by equalizing, against the course of the game of Moussiti (25th). Before a new blunder from Leo Baleri, who deceived Ruben Blanco, tenured in place of Pau Lopez, by wanting to clear his camp on a fairly innocuous center (47th).
Without ever, we feel the Marseillais capable of returning. “It’s true that I find it difficult to explain what happened. We only played 15 minutes. We started well, with the right frame of mind. But after the goal we changed energy, we lowered our level. We conceded this goal and it was difficult to react until the end of the match ”, regretted Igor Tudor.
Dimitri Payet “hope it’s just an accident”
If Olivier Pantaloni, the coach of AC Ajaccio to evoke “may be a little too much confidence in the face of the last of the championship”, on the part of OM, the Croatian has swept away this idea: “He does not There was no decision to win the match, even on the part of the substitutes. You always have to have it, even when you play badly. »
This defeat clearly marks a setback for OM, the first of the season in the league. Dimitri Payet “hopes it’s just an accident. We have had a good run since the start of the season, it would be a shame to throw everything away after a defeat. But this one is hard to digest. And precisely beware of indigestion, because Igor Tudor’s men will play a match almost as crucial as last Tuesday’s against Sporting Portugal, but in Lisbon this time, starting on Tuesday.