For 90% of the match, OM seemed superior to their opponent, second in the Greek championship, and sometimes very clearly.

But he did not score as much as he could have, as often, and conceded a goal, as always at the moment, which exposes him to a complicated expedition in a week in Thessaloniki.

The atmosphere should be fiery there, at least as much as it was at the Vélodrome, where the beauty of the Marseille tifos and the fervor of the Greek songs did not make us forget the incidents and the very strong tension which marked the pre-game.

But let's start with the best: In the 45th minute, OM were already leading 1-0 when Under struck a corner from the right side, the Turk sending a long back pass to Payet, positioned full axis 20 meters from the goals.

After a rebound, the ball arrived towards the right foot of the Marseille N.10, who with a perfect gesture, a perfectly balanced and relaxed volley, sent a real rocket into the top corner of Paschalakis.

Smoke bombs and firecrackers

This sumptuous 2-0 goal then rewarded both Marseille's clear domination and Payet's recital, in a very, very good evening and where each ball shot accentuated the impression that there was a class difference. between the two teams.

From the start of the match, Payet took control of the game. By his movements and his ball shots, he constantly hurt the Greeks and with a double roulette, he made the Vélodrome go into raptures.

Turkish Marseille striker Cengiz Under ball at the foot during the quarter-final first leg of the Europa League Conference against Salonika in Marseille on April 7, 2022 Nicolas TUCAT AFP

On the first goal already, he had been decisive.

The Europa League Conference is only a Thursday European Cup but his pass for Gerson, precise and supported, was indeed a Champions League pass.

And the Brazilian was not left out with a magnificent sequence of control, chest drop, volley from the left which put OM in the lead (1-0, 13th).

Previously, the pre-match had therefore been very tense in the stands and around the stadium.

Coming to more than 2,000, the PAOK supporters made a lot of noise in their parking lot and there were many scuffles with the Marseille fans installed in the North Bend.

Several smoke bombs were thrown from one camp to another, above the safety nets.

Marseille supporters also launched fireworks in the direction of the Greek parking lot and very strong explosions of firecrackers sounded.

A few pieces of seats were also thrown.

lost thread

The sequel was more serene, even if Payet had to be protected by the removable safety nets when he hit the corners in front of the area reserved for the Greeks.

Mobile gendarmes in position inside the Vélodrome stadium during the first leg of the Europa League Conference quarter-final between OM and PAOK Salonika, in Marseille on April 7, 2022 Nicolas TUCAT AFP

There were several because OM still dominated the second period, but with less brilliance than before the break.

Above all, and this is a recurring fault this season, the Marseillais lost the thread of the match for a few minutes after returning from the locker room, and that was enough for PAOK to score and leave this quarter-final fully open.

The Greek goal came from an error in recovery from Gueye, which put Payet in difficulty to the point of losing the ball.

PAOK's action was then quick and precise and El-Kaddouri scored (2-1, 48').

Despite several other Marseille chances, the score did not move and despite this sixth consecutive success, Jorge Sampaoli could not be fully happy with the result.

Because on Sunday, OM defended their second place in L1 against Montpellier and would have liked to do so with a clearer European horizon.

© 2022 AFP