Marseille 1 - 2 Savidan

By: Magnusson | August 16th, 2007

Everybody seemed awfully pleased to see Johan Audel out for yesterday’s game since he managed to score four games in his first two games of the season. And everyobody (myself included I must admit) decided that Steve Savidan was done. He scored 12 goals in Ligue 1 From September to March of last year but has been mute ever since. Well, he doesn’t seem to be done. The kid scored twice yesterday and litterally crucified us in five minutes. Before the match, with their only scorer this season out and Marseille unable to score thus far, fireworks were not to be expected given Samir Nasri and Mamadou Niang’s absence and the first half did little to upset those expectations on our end. Valenciennes on the other end had many chances to score, Ouaddou at the 6th, Savidan then Sanchez at the 17th and 26th minutes. But with a very solid defense and a stellar Cedric Carasso, Marseille was not that bothered but cruelly lacked inpiration on the offensive side.

Back from the showers, Marseille showed a little more initiative and the ZZ boys, both guilty of too timid attempts during the first half, gave us a glimpse of what could be. Marseille finally looked like the national team whose jerseys we jacked this year and after ten minutes, Ziani scored a very nice goal on a smart service by Benoit Cheyrou. He even could have doubled the score a minute later when he missed an even easier chance. This would prove fatal later.
A minute later on what can only be explaijned as too much eager ness on habib Beye’s part, our captain gives the ball back to valanciennes while trying to give it to Ziani after an innocent attack of the nordists. Roudet receives the ball in his feet and serves Savidan who dominates Gaël Givet on the air and scores with a powerful header.
The match started to lack rythm and Valenciennes tried to keep the draw that was apparently enough for them. On a seemingly harmless free kick, ex-Marseille playmaker Djamel Belmadi, who got in during that time gave a service to Savidan who scored a Taïwo-like kick that Carasso couldn’t have possibly touched.
Marseille lost to a team that just seemed more eager to take it. Let’s hope Matt Moussilou’s arrival will help Djibril Cissé before Niang comes back and takes his rightful place. Djibril has been too lonely to do any real damage lately.