The scenario repeats itself week after week: an ambitious player wins on Saturday or Sunday during the day and puts pressure on OM, who then respond with a victory.

This weekend, it was Rennes' success at Reims that temporarily pushed OM to 3rd place.

But a fifth success in a row in the league, the seventh in all competitions, brought Marseille back to the second step of the podium.

Rennes therefore won but not Strasbourg, held in check by Lyon, and even less Nice, beaten at Lens.

The operation is therefore excellent for the team of Jorge Sampaoli, which takes three steps ahead of the Bretons (3rd) and especially seven on Strasbourg (4th) and eight on Nice (5th), which is starting to make a nice mattress seven days from the end.

Very convincing

With Payet on the bench and Mandanda holder in place of Pau Lopez, there were some surprises in the composition of Jorge Sampaoli.

But everyone has clear ideas at the moment at OM and even the last minute withdrawal of Caleta-Car, replaced by Gueye, has taken nothing away from the consistency of the whole.

Fierce in pressing, precise in their ball outings and effective when approaching Omlin's goal, OM did everything well in the first period, especially as the Héraultais left them plenty of space.

The Provençaux were very quickly rewarded with the opening of the score of Dieng, born from a hard work of Harit (1-0, 8th).

The joy of Senegalese Marseille striker Bamba Dieng, after opening the scoring against Montpellier, at the end of the 31st day of Ligue 1, on April 10, 2022 at the Stade Vélodrome Christophe SIMON AFP

A little over ten minutes later, Marseille doubled the lead thanks to a penalty converted by Under after a gross foul by Ferri on Dieng, launched by a malignant heel from Gerson (2-0, 19th).

Turkish Marseille striker Cengiz Under (17), congratulated by his teammates, after scoring the second goal from the penalty spot against Montpellier, at the end of the 31st day of Ligue 1, on April 10, 2022 at the Stade Vélodrome Christophe SIMON AFP

Sampaoli's team could have widened the gap a little more if Dieng had not pushed his ball a little too much on a perfect opening from Guendouzi (28th), but, despite the last ten minutes being a little less consistent, the together had been very convincing.

There was no need to look very far for the memory of such a successful first period since Thursday against PAOK Salonika, Marseille also led 2-0 after 45 minutes of the same excellent barrel.

Infernal cadences

OM then lost the thread and conceded a goal very quickly in the second period, which almost happened again on Sunday, with a huge opportunity offered to Savanier on a disagreement between Kamara, Gueye and Mandanda (51st).

But Marseille held on this time, even if their football was less brilliant during the second act, marked by a few technical sweets from Harit, a handful of additional chances and, in the end, a relatively calm score management.

Moroccan midfielder from Marseille Amine Harit overflows Montpellier defender Maxime Estève, at the end of the 31st day of Ligue 1, on April 10, 2022 at the Stade Vélodrome Christophe SIMON AFP

Because Montpellier, where the Cabella attraction was launched for the last half hour, did not do much to tear itself away from its condition of condemned to the soft belly (11th).

Omlin's expulsion for a foul on Luis Henrique at the end of regulation time was a bad extra blow for Olivier Dall'Oglio's team, but it had no effect on the end of the match.

After this success against the Hérault club, OM did not get out of hellish pace, far from it.

With a trip Thursday to Thessaloniki, where PAOK promised him hell or so, then another Sunday at the Parc des Princes to face the PSG leader, Messi and the men-triplets Neymar and Mbappé, it is even a very big week ahead.

© 2022 AFP