Marseilles (AFP)

After leading 2-0, Marseille was held in check by a Bordeaux team who woke up after the break (2-2), Sunday evening at the Stade Vélodrome at the end of the second day of L1, and missed the opportunity to take the lead in the standings.

With four points in two league matches, OM of Jorge Sampaoli is two lengths from Angers, Clermont and Paris SG, along with the neighbor from Nice, the next opponent and who has just overthrown Lille (4-0).

The Argentine coach of Marseille, Jorge Sampaoli, during the match against Bordeaux counting for the 2nd day of L1, on August 15, 2021 at the Stade Vélodrome Sylvain THOMAS AFP

If the Olympians have shown real offensive qualities, errors, even defensive wanderings are a brake in the perspective of a qualification in the Champions League next season.

OM is still in the process of breaking in at this level.

Like Leonardo Balerdi, whose gestures are often poorly controlled and whose exclusion was logical (88th).

For Bordeaux, on the other hand, the second period, where solidarity and risk-taking were intertwined, is synonymous with progress.

It can foreshadow a brighter tomorrow for the club of the new president, Gérard Lopez.

- The recruits speak -

His coach, Vladimir Petkovic, had however concocted an ultra-defensive team in 5-4-1 "low block" to try to reassure himself after the inaugural defeat at home against Clermont (0-2).

And the premature exit (14th) of Nigerian striker Samuel Kalu, 23, victim of discomfort at the start of the game (6th), did not change the situation.

The Bordeaux and Marseille players call the trainers after the discomfort of the Nigerian striker of Bordeaux, Samuel Kalu, during the 2nd day of L1, August 15, 2021 at the Stade Vélodrome Sylvain THOMAS AFP

The bet lasted for half an hour.

Time for the American Konrad de la Fuente to accelerate on the left side and serve Gerson in overflow.

The biggest summer transfer of the Olympian club (nearly 20 million Euros) then offered a caviar of center in withdrawal for the Turkish Cengiz Ünder, who did not miss his second goal in two matches (1-0, 34th ).

Sitting alongside Jean-Pierre Papin, honored by the club for the 20th anniversary of his 1991 Ballon d'Or, and his boss Frank McCourt, the young president of OM Pablo Longoria could finally savor.

As in Montpellier last week (3-2), his recruits feasted.

But this time, they set a Velodrome on fire with 50,000 people who had been waiting for it for a year and a half.

Marseille supporters encourage their team against Bordeaux, on Matchday 2 of L1, August 15, 2021 at Stade Vélodrome Sylvain THOMAS AFP

Until this goal, Jorge Sampaoli's men had not yet managed to create shifts in the Bordeaux rearguard.

Dimitri Payet's unframed free kicks (5th and 31st) had barely managed to balance the strike of Gideon Mensah, just off (24th).

- Oudin all alone -

But that goal changed everything.

Payet let go a little more.

Helped by the apathy of Mexer then Laurent Koscielny, he transplanted at the entrance to the area to beat Benoit Costil with a low-to-the-ground strike (2-0, 41st).

Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet scores the second goal against Bordeaux, on Matchday 2 of L1, August 15, 2021 at the Stade Vélodrome Pascal GUYOT AFP

At the break, Petkovic therefore reacted.

Timothée Pembelé, 18, just loaned from Paris SG, replaced a struggling Mexer.

And the Parisian "titi" started his festival on the right side.

He played on De la Fuente's nonexistent defensive retreat to score with the help of Luan Peres, who deflected the ball (2-1, 51st).

Bordeaux striker Timothée Pembélé reduced the score against Marseille, despite the return of American striker Konrad de la Fuente, on Matchday 2 of L1, August 15, 2021 at Stade Vélodrome Sylvain THOMAS AFP

Marseille, disorganized, then began to pitch and concede corners.

On the third consecutive, Toma Basic saw Rémi Oudin, absolutely alone when entering the box.

Kalu's replacement equalized with a perfect recovery from the left (2-2, 57th) to the delight of the 170 Bordeaux supporters.

The end of the game, disjointed, could have allowed each of the teams to win.

But OM, destabilized by the second Bordeaux period, never managed to fully control the game to really believe in it.

© 2021 AFP