Valencia-OM: a frustrating draw for Marseille despite their intentions

Roberto de Zerbi's men have made a number of attacks, but few have been truly dangerous.
Skip the ad Skip the adStill undefeated after their fourth warm-up match, Olympique de Marseille drew 1-1 with Valencia FC on Tuesday night in Tarragona, after a largely dominated match, just lacking precision in front of the Spanish goal. Admittedly, the opponent was no ogre, with the twelfth-placed team in the 2024/2025 La Liga, a far cry from their former glory. But the dedicated Olympians got the job done, just failing to finish against a defense that was often overwhelmed.
Totally dominant for almost 70 minutes, with a polished game and recruits (Egan-Riley, Medina and Gomes) already perfectly acclimatized to the system wanted by Roberto de Zerbi, OM were nevertheless behind at half-time, on a goal from Raba (42nd) completely against the run of play, at the end of a lightning counter-attack.
But Marseille quickly put the record straight, with a Jonathan Rowe (51st) festival on his left wing, which ended with a curling shot with his right foot into the top corner.
Skip the adAlthough Greenwood didn't score this time, after his five goals since the start of the Olympique de Marseille preseason, he was also a constant threat to the Spanish defense. Gouiri, on the other hand, in the number 9 position, did not prove indispensable on the day Aubameyang's return from his one-year stint in Saudi Arabia was announced. De Zerbi seems to have found the backbone of his team for the start of the season and the resumption of Ligue 1 on August 15 in Rennes, with English elf Angel Gomes already essential in midfield and Facundo Medina tireless in his role as a piston on the left.
After a 5-0 victory against Excelsior Maasluis, a Dutch third division club, then a 1-1 draw against Royal Olympic Charleroi, in the Belgian second division, OM therefore got through their Spanish trip without a hitch with a 2-0 victory against Girona on Saturday and this promising draw on Tuesday evening. Now it remains to confirm this very attractive basic game, at home this time, at the Vélodrome, on Saturday against the Spanish team of Sevilla FC and then, a week later, against the English team of Aston Villa.
lefigaro