Olympique de Marseille – Atalanta BC: Vélodrome Cauldron Not Enough To Break Deadlock (1-1)

An entertaining first half gave way to a more mellow finish as the cauldron-like Stade Vélodrome saw another important if not famous European night. Olympique de Marseille and Atalanta BC were evenly matched and the Europa League semi-final remains firmly in the balance.

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

The very fact that Olympique de Marseille were in the semi-final of a European competition after the season that they have endured was a marvel of engineering or the lack thereof. They have more frequently than not been bad throughout this campaign be it under Marcelino, Jaquees Abardonado, Gennaro Gattuso, or the slumps that have emerged under Jean-Louis Gasset. And yet here they stood. 

The importance of the Stade Vélodrome cannot be understated. It has been their one lifeline throughout the season, as their president, Pablo Longoria explained, if only home games were counted then Marseille would be second in the league. In the Europa League, this has shown itself with the club having been beaten in every knockout round away from home, but having done enough at home to get the job done. 

In Atalanta BC, they were facing a team that had shown they could do the business away from familiar ground. The Italian side had visited Anfield in the round before and walked away with a 3-0 victory. An ill-omen perhaps for a Marseille side desperate to secure their passage before the inevitable homesickness kicked in. 

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side came into this match in a good run of form as they competed on all fronts. A place in next year’s Champions League . . .