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Europa League: Marseille fall in Graz and stay on zero points
Marseille lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz to Oumar Diakité’s 13th-minute goal, a third straight Europa League defeat. Zero points from three games, with Bruno Genesio putting qualification at 9 to 11 points.
by Lucas Morel · 1 min read
Oumar Diakité scored in the 13th minute at the Stadion Graz-Liebenau and Sturm Graz defended the lead for 77 minutes. Marseille lost 1-0 in Graz on Thursday evening, a third defeat in three Europa League games, with one goal scored since the league phase began.
72% possession, one shot on target
The game fits on one stats sheet: 72% of possession for Marseille, one shot on target to Sturm’s five. Bruno Genesio had started Maupay and Gouiri up front, Kondogbia and Kamissoko in midfield, young Bezahaf in defence and de Lange in goal. Sturm committed 23 fouls to Marseille’s nine, and the Austrian block never opened.
After the wins at Troyes (2-0) and Angers (5-2), Genesio wanted his team to build on the Angers performance and praised youngsters meeting his expectations. In Ligue 1, the four straight defeats are behind them. In Europe the run continues: 1-4 against Besiktas, 0-1 against Olympiakos, 0-1 in Graz.
A high-risk match, an atmosphere that held
The Austrian police had classed the fixture as high risk: after Sunday’s Graz derby (6-1) degenerated near the stadium, they ran exercises in the stands on Wednesday, with hooded extras, flares and projectiles. Around 1,000 Marseille supporters made the trip, most leaving France by coach on Tuesday through Italy and Slovenia, into a 15,500-seat ground. Sturm coach Fabio Ingolitsch had expected a magnificent atmosphere. The evening’s reports mention no incidents.
Zero points, Le Havre on Sunday
Before kickoff, Marseille sat 31st in the league phase, five places behind a Sturm side that had taken a point off Rennes (0-0). Genesio saw a top-24 finish as taking “between 9 and 11 points”, with “three or four wins” to find (Le Phocéen). Marseille have none of them, one goal scored and six conceded.
The league tells a different story: after Troyes and Angers, Marseille host Le Havre on Sunday and remain favourites at 1.60 with 1xbet (latest odds). Our Marseille vs Le Havre preview covers the odds and the match scenario.