Faced with a dominating but desperately sterile Marseille team, Clermont was a hit thanks to a goal from its center forward Mohamed Bayo in the first quarter of an hour, imitated by Jim Allevinah with a header from a corner at the end of the match. What did OM miss this Sunday evening? “Humility, according to Dimitri Payet, at the microphone of Amazon Prime Video, after the match. We did not show a coherent face, nor values. Clermont deserves credit for this victory. We have to deflate the heads, get back to work and show the face that is ours…”
What you must remember
After a quarter of an hour, Jorge Sampaoli’s team was trapped by a fine movement from the promoted Auvergne. Houtondji nicely launched Zedadka deep on the right side. The Clermont side adjusted a back pass towards the entrance to the area. There, Bayo, although embarrassed by Rashani, planted an uncontrolled cross shot from the right out of reach of Pau Lopez (0-1, 13th).
Until the break, the Marseillais did not create a real opportunity to equalize, except for Payet whose strike with the right foot was diverted by Djoco close to his post (38th).
After the break, the Phocaeans resumed their seat of the Auvergne camp. Very prominent this Sunday evening, Djoco relaxed against a shot from Rongier (56th), then blocked his body against a close shot from Under (57th). But overall, even if they placed banderillas, Sampaoli’s players, perhaps blunted by the repetition of matches, never put themselves in a position to score. On the contrary, they conceded a second goal from a corner (0-2, 84th) and came close to 0-3, from the hands of former Marseille Khaoui but the latter did not win his duel with Lopez.
The player: Mohamed Bayo
“It’s been a long time since I’ve scored…” exclaimed the microphone from Amazon Prime Video at the break, the Clermont striker, silent for forty days in front of goal and this achievement synonymous with victory in Angers ( 1-0) on December 12.
The 23-year-old Auvergne centre-forward, scorer at the Vélodrome, scored a goal equivalent to 3 points. Vital for Clermont Foot, 15th, who took a little lead in the fight to maintain. Bayo, who opens his counter in 2022, is now at the head of ten goals in Ligue 1. Not bad for a first season in the elite, and well in line with the 22 goals scored in Ligue 2 last season.
Long coveted during the summer transfer window, the Clermontois at the club since the age of 6, the Guinean international center-forward, recent 1/8 finalist of the CAN (defeat against Gambia 1-0), will not remain so probably not beyond the current season.
The number: 7
All series have an end and that of OM, beaten at home by Clermont, stops at seven games without defeat. Marseille, still 2nd in Ligue 1, saw its lead over Nice, 3rd, go from four to one point.