The two defeats in a row conceded last week against the Dutch and then against Lyon (3-0) were therefore little more than an accident.

Marseille ends the season short of breath and has already let slip one of its dreams, that of a sixth European final.

He still has the hope of qualifying for the next Champions League.

It is fragile, because Jorge Sampaoli's team is only three points ahead in the league over its pursuers Rennes and Monaco and therefore no longer really any room for error.

"Losing everything in a few days is horrible," said Payet last week, who experienced this in 2018, when OM were beaten in the Europa League final by Atlético Madrid and failed in the 4th. place in L1, deprived of C1.

The Marseille N.10 came out injured in the Lyon final, and this was the case again on Thursday.

He left his teammates after half an hour and then missed a lot.

OM however tried everything but could not make up for the errors of the first leg, the spectacular blunder of Caleta-Car and the first two goals quickly conceded when they had been stunned by the intensity of the Dutch game and by the din of the De Kuip stadium.

Thursday, the Vélodrome was not left out, even if it was deprived of Virage Nord, suspended for repeated incidents.

A corner was missing, so the other three stands sang louder.

And OM responded by making the necessary impact and by setting up high on the pitch.

attack-defense

In the 10th minute, a first good movement resulted in a repelled shot from Payet and ten minutes later, another good collective action still arrived to the Marseille N.10, whose curling shot from the left went from little to side (21st).

Unfortunately for OM, things took a bad turn when the Reunionese injured himself, playing a long ball forward.

As in the 2018 final, Payet therefore had to leave his family, without tears this time but with his head very low.

He was replaced by Milik, again on the bench at kick-off, and his absence was not immediately felt, the Pole framing two headers (33rd, 45 + 2).

But OM then had a little less control over the game, allowing Feyenoord to start pressing and recovering a few balls in a high position.

The second period then came down to an attack-defense exercise, poorly managed by OM, where all the attackers were either clumsy, like Dieng then Bakambu, or impossible to find, like Milik.

With Guendouzi leading, OM pushed and dominated but had few clear chances, apart from an overly soft shot from Rongier (55').

The Dutch pushed everything back then quickly started to gain a few seconds to the right, to the left, for a cramp, a loose lace, a rascal sore that is slow to heal.

In the last quarter of an hour all the same, OM besieged the Dutch goal, ending with a line of five, even six offensive players.

But not a cross arrived on the right head, not a set piece fell in the right area.

The technical correctness of Payet then really missed.

With or without his playmaker, there are three matches left in Marseille and Sampaoli to erase this first failure.

If they succeed, they will find Europe, and it will perhaps be the big one.

© 2022 AFP