Marseille Maintain Momentum Under Bielsa with Win Over Benfica
Marseille continue to showcase the positive impact of Marcelo Bielsa’s leadership after securing a second consecutive pre-season friendly victory. Following an impressive 4-1 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, OM edged past Benfica Lisbon 2-1 in Clermont-Ferrand last Wednesday.
The match started unfavourably for Marseille when Benfica’s Nicolas Gaitan opened the scoring in the 14th minute. However, the hosts responded swiftly, with André-Pierre Gignac leveling the score by the 24th minute. The decisive goal came from new signing Michy Batshuayi, who netted in the 56th minute after his recent arrival from Standard de Liège.
Speaking after the win, Togolese international Jacques Alaixys Romao praised the team’s resilience and character in bouncing back from an early setback. “This second victory is encouraging, against a good Benfica team. We played well, even though we were caught out early in the match. We were able to pull ourselves together. It’s good for the rest of the preparation,” Romao told Marseille’s official website.
Romao, who has been deployed out of his usual midfield position in central defence during these friendlies, expressed his willingness to adapt and contribute where needed. “I’m not worried about playing in central defence. The coach asks me to play there. I obey him. It’s up to me to do everything and perform well to satisfy the coach,” he said.
He also spoke about the honour of captaining a club with Marseille’s history and the squad’s eagerness for the season ahead. “It’s always a source of pride to be in charge of the captaincy, especially at Marseille. It didn’t really show me off… We can’t wait to start the competition. It’s been almost a month and a half since we started again. If we keep working hard, we’ll be ready to start the championship well.”
Bielsa’s influence appears clear as Marseille continue to build confidence and cohesion ahead of the new Ligue 1 campaign.
