Since Jean-Louis Gasset took over as manager from Gennaro Gattuso, Olympique de Marseille has seen a remarkable improvement in their form. The experienced seventy-year-old coach has brought calmness and confidence to the tense atmosphere at La Provence, and the results have been positive. Under their fourth manager of the season, Marseille has secured four wins in a row, including a convincing win over Villarreal in the Europa League game in midweek, where they kept their first clean sheet.
Contrastingly, FC Nantes, led by Jocelyn Gourvennec, has struggled to find consistency in their performances. A recent loss to FC Metz proved particularly detrimental, as their opponents had not secured a victory since November, leaving La Maison Jaune just one place above FC Lorient in the relegation playoff spot. Despite possessing a superior goal difference to Lorient, concerns are mounting for one of France’s esteemed sporting institutions.
In the encounter between Marseille and Nantes, the former initially faced a resilient defensive setup from the visitors, stifling Marseille’s front three. However, a moment of brilliance from Ismaïla Sarr, who breached Nicolas Cozza’s defense with skillful footwork, led to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang breaking the deadlock with a well-timed finish.
Throughout the first half, Marseille asserted their dominance with incisive attacking combinations, while Nantes struggled to threaten, barring a few individual efforts from Moses Simon. Marseille’s goalkeeper, Pau López, had little to contend with, with the hosts missing the finishing touch to extend their lead.
Following halftime, Gourvennec made significant tactical adjustments, transitioning to a back four and introducing Florent Mollet and Mostafa Mohamed. Marseille found themselves on the back foot as Nantes pressed higher and appealed for a penalty. Gasset responded with a triple substitution, but Marseille struggled to regain control, facing sustained pressure from the visitors.
Nevertheless, against the run of play, Aubameyang capitalized on a long ball, displaying his clinical instincts to secure a hard-fought victory for Marseille, despite Nantes’ persistent challenge.