THE MATCH

Bordeaux 0-1 Olympique de Marseille 

If at first you don't succeed, try again. This could well have been the mantra of Olympique de Marseille after more unsuccessful trips to Bordeaux than they would care to mention but on Friday night OM coach Jorge Sampaoli did what more than 50 of his predecessors could not - take three points at the home of Les Girondins.

The match was under threat of postponement due to a plethora of Covid-19 cases in the Bordeaux squad over the past week. Bordeaux had initially submitted a request to cancel the clash but their efforts were rebuffed by the LFP, to the delight of OM who themselves were hit by a number of notable absentees.

The Matmut Atlantique was as threadbare as Bordeaux's squad of late and had shades of 2020 as Ligue 1 Uber Eats kicked off its first game of 2022 in eerie fashion, owing to Covid-19 restrictions in France.

Marseille started with intensity, making use of the space the hosts were providing them with and should have taken the lead when Duje Caleta-Car's trailing leg steered the ball against the bar from close-range (10').

Sampaoli's men were comfortable in the opening exchanges, dominating possession as Bordeaux offered little by way of an attacking threat and had the look of a team who felt hard done by, as their makeshift starting XI worked to preserve their long-standing unbeaten home record against the visitors.

But in Honduran striker Alberth Elis, who already has seven goals to his name this term, Les Girondins always posed a threat on the break..

Vladimir Petkovic's strugglers remained strong, disciplined and well-drilled to shut third placed OM out - restricting the former European champions to shots off-target from distance courtesy of Dimitri Payet and Cengiz Ünder.

Giveaway 

In a moment of madness, Bordeaux inexplicably hit the self-destruct button and showed why they boast the worst defence in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. 

Les Girondins 'keeper Benoît Costil's attempted clearance fell straight to the feet of Turkey-international Ünder, who raced towards goal and kept his composure to superbly put OM in front (37').

Shortly after taking the lead, Marseille nearly squandered their advantage when Ui-Jo Hwang found himself in acres of space but his effort kissed the crossbar to let the visitors off the hook (43').

Costil's redemption

Payet's wizardry from set-pieces gave Bordeaux plenty to worry about and his free-kick early in the second half found the head of Caleta-Car whose header was palmed away by Costil (52'). The former West Ham United favourite was at it again two-minutes later, teeing up Matteo Guendouzi whose effort from the edge of the area again stung the palms of Costil, when he should have extended OM's advantage.

Ünder was next to be thwarted by Costil (62') who was doing his best to make up for his calamitous first-half moment. Further up the pitch, a disjointed Bordeaux attacking performance showed glimmers of hope as Hwang and Elis pushed for an unlikely equaliser.

Petkovic threw on M'baye Niang in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a point but it was Marseille who continued their barrage of attempts on Costil's goal and a mix of excellent goalkeeping from the Bordeaux shot-stopper and wastefulness form Sampaoli's men, prevented from the game being dead and buried much earlier.

But Marseille comfortably kept the hosts at bay in the final stages to end one of French football’s longest-running hoodoo's whilst starting 2022 with three-precious away points.

The win sends Marseille provisionally into second place on the table three points ahead of Nice who can leapfrog OM back into second, with a win at Brest on Sunday.

Bordeaux remain in a disappointing 17th place and could slip into the bottom three by the end of the weekend's action.

THE PLAYER: Dimitri Payet

The 34-year-old continued his excellent form from the first-half of the season and continues to be Marseille's chief creator. Without his presence, Marseille are a very different side and the Frenchman continually musters up moments of magic to make something happen for his team. Keeping Payet fit and healthy will be key to OM's chances of success this season.

THE STAT: 44

Marseille finally claimed a win at Bordeaux for the first time since 1977 (44 years), spanning 37 trips to south-west France. It was a deserved victory for Sampaoli's men who had won five Ligue 1 Uber Eats titles, a Coupe de France victory and a Champions League triumph since their last win at Bordeaux. A nice monkey to get off their backs as they enter a crucial period in the intriguing race for this season’s podium places.