Marseille were already eliminated from the C3 but needed only one point to secure third place in their group.

The victory is ultimately a bonus, not useless for a club which really wins too little in Europe, with only one success in its last 19 matches before Thursday.

But the main thing was really to pass because it would have made a spot for OM to be the only French club eliminated from continental competitions.

Even if his sincere attachment to seeing OM succeed in the European Cup is not in doubt, Jorge Sampaoli has all the same made some changes in the perspective of Sunday's important trip to Strasbourg.

Tired, Payet stayed on the bench for an hour, like Kamara and Lirola.

Conversely, Milik, Under and Mandanda, absent from the 11 lately for various reasons, have made their return as holders.

Faced with a very weak Lokomotiv team, the first period was initially in line with what OM is currently producing: play, a lot, but few chances, and hundreds of assists, only a handful of which reach Milik .

While De la Fuente did a lot of damage to his left wing, the Pole didn't have much to eat, with a simple shot from a too central pivot in the 31st minute of play.

Dieng's failure

But a few minutes later, an impeccable corner from Under allowed him to head (1-0, 35th) the young Daniil Khudiakov, not yet 18 years old.

Opposite, Moscow was all the more harmless as the former Bordeaux striker François Kamano had to go out after falling badly on his back.

The rest remained under control but confirmed that OM were definitely struggling to kill the matches they control.

Gerson, who is really better, thus had two good opportunities: first a head not sufficiently supported (51st), then a shot deflected on his bar by the Russian goalkeeper after the best Marseille collective movement of the match.

Since a draw was enough for him to finish third in this raised group and get away from it all in C4, OM did not really tremble despite this still too slim advantage.

But as the Marseillais do not know how to simplify their lives, they finished at 10 after the expulsion of Rongier, not in a very big night, in the 81st minute.

The Brazilian Gerson drops off Moscow defender Maksim Nenakhov during Marseille's victory at the Velodrome stadium, December 9, 2021 Christophe SIMON AFP

However, they should have doubled the bet by Dieng, to whom Payet offered an unmissable duel against the goalkeeper three meters from the goal but who struck near (90th + 4).

OM will therefore finally be satisfied with this narrow victory and its future discovery of the Europa Conference League.

But given the level displayed by the Muscovites on Thursday, the great regret of this Europa League campaign remains not to have beaten them in the first leg (1-1).

Because the points stupidly abandoned at the end of the match in Moscow weighed heavily in the Marseille course.

© 2021 AFP