The Europa League Conference?

We don't know, it doesn't shine much, but there is a title at the end and it's an ambition that Jorge Sampaoli repeats every time he speaks.

So why not in C4, where the Marseillais would, again, forever be the first.

However, OM are still far from it and the goal conceded in the 85th minute, signed Kady after a sequence in which OM defended very badly from start to finish, reminded us that Marseille have little margin.

If the score had remained at 2-1, the return match, in a week in Baku, could even have been extremely complicated in addition to being very distant.

But in additional time, Dimitri Payet on a good serve from the new African champion Bamba Dieng, gave OM a more comfortable advantage.

Faced with an intense schedule, Sampaoli had mentioned the need to "oxygenate" his team a little.

He did it, with the tenure of several usual replacements like De la Fuente or Balerdi, and all the disgruntled people of the moment, Milik, Alvaro and Mandanda.

In a match which took place without other incidents than the deployment of some Armenian flags by Marseille supporters, the result was not very convincing.

The first half hour was thus moderately reassuring, with some tactical trial and error, notably around the middle triangle, the lower point of which was occupied in turn by Gueye and Kamara.

Angry Milik

OM then did not offer much and it even took a good comeback from Lirola (7th) then a good save from the foot of Mandanda (8th), each time in front of the former Lensois Zoubir, to prevent Qarabag does not take advantage.

But, even if it was courageous and enterprising, the Azerbaijani team still logically showed some weaknesses, especially behind.

And they saw each other very clearly in the last five minutes before the break, when Milik came on stage and took advantage.

On a corner hit by De la Fuente, the Pole, all alone, first took advantage of a failed exit from goalkeeper Gugeshashvili to place a fine header, pushed back on his line by a Qarabag defender, who only did delay the deadline before the resumption of the winning right of Milik (1-0, 40th).

Three minutes later, it was then a whimsical alignment of the Qarabag rearguard which allowed Gueye to serve the former center forward of Naples, ruthless at the entrance to the surface (2-0, 43rd ).

Scorer in three of OM's last four games, a hat-trick against Angers, a double against Qarabag and a decisive goal in Metz, Milik has clearly regained his great form and the thread of his season.

But his exit, face closed and a big kick in a bottle that passed by, also came to confirm that his agreement with Sampaoli remained quite fresh.

The sequence of matches and competitions does not leave much room for moods anyway and the Argentinian technician and his center forward have deadlines.

They will be next week in Baku to validate their qualification for the round of 16 of this C4.

And, from Sunday, OM will receive Clermont for a match within their reach and which can allow them to consolidate their second place in the league.

© 2022 AFP