Auxerre 0–0 Marseille

Posted Saturday, May 01, 2010 by Goal.com

It certainly wasn’t a classic, but OM are a step closer to a historical title after a barren scoreless draw against closest rivals AJA.

Olympique de Marseille have successfully maintained their five point advantage over Auxerre at the summit of Ligue 1 after a scoreless draw against the Burgundy outfit at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps on Friday evening.

The first half of the match was played in an incredibly cagey manner, with only a terrible miss from Lucho to really get tongues wagging at the interval. Nothing improved significantly after the break, in a game in which defenses were well on top throughout.

Contrary to what was expected, it was actually the home side who enjoyed the greater time in possession in the opening ten or so minutes, yet Marseille’s defense held firm without any real need to panic.

Largely via set pieces, OM gradually wormed their way back into the encounter, but as Lucho Gonzalez’s delivery wasn’t necessarily of its usual high standard, AJA were allowed to survive without too many serious scares.

For a period Mathieu Valbuena was a real force in the game, burrowing down the right touchline on several occasions but largely restricted in his movement by a series of fouls from the well drilled home defensive corps. When the effervescent winger did get away, he produced a delicious ball to the far post where Lucho appeared set to knock a simple chance home. Yet the former Porto player could only steer the ball goalwards with his knee, allowing Olivier Sorin to save the only chance of the first half in great tranquility.

Auxerre offered little as an attacking force. On a couple of occasions Ireneusz Jelen did threaten to get in behind the visiting rearguard, but he was caught offside when best placed, allowing Steve Mandanda a first half of action in which he was barely troubled, aside from the odd teasing cross.

For a period at the beginning of the second half it really looked like this game might reach its potential. Jelen got in down the right channel but his first touch wasn’t sure enough to prevent a terrific recovery challenge from Souleymane Diawara, who cleared for a corner kick.

At the other end of the field, Lucho fizzed in a good free kick that was touched marginally over the top of the goal by a glancing header from the disappointing Mamadou Niang.

On the hour mark another Lucho set play nearly brought with it a goal. This time the Argentine whipped a dangerous corner into the near post area of the AJA box, with a glancing header from Brandao, who had clashed controversially with Cedric Hengbart moments earlier, steering the ball just wide of target, Niang caught a little flat-footed at the edge of the six yard box when he could have had a simple tap-in.

Brandao’s killer instinct in front of goal has been lamented at times this season, and his inability to convert a telling chance was on show five minutes later. Headers from Lucho and Niang had the Brazilian through on goal, but he just dallied long enough to allow the excellent Hengbart in to make a terrific recovery challenge when the former Shakhtar Donetsk man seemed set to blast les Phoceens to the brink of the league title.

This effort proved to be the end of the meaningful goal scoring chances as the defenses again rose to dominate. Late in the day a dangerous center from substitute Roy Contout was marginally missed by the threatening Jelen, but had there been a winner in this match it would have been somewhat unjust as both sides gave a tremendous effort, even if they were lacking a little in final third brilliance.