Olympique de Marseille Coach Didier Deschamps Savours Win Over Paris Saint-Germain

'DD' came out on top in the battle of the two debutant coaches in Friday night's big match. Having seen his side claw their way back towards the top three, he was understandably elated...

Nov 21, 2009 12:09:56 PM

Ligue 1 : Mamadou Niang (Marseille) vs Jeremy Clement (Paris SG)

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Ligue 1 : Mamadou Niang (Marseille) vs Jeremy Clement (Paris SG)

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Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps’ first taste of the Clasico, Ligue 1’s most fiercely contested match, ended in success as he watched his Olympique de Marseille side bustle their way past Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at Stade Velodrome on Friday evening.

There were few fireworks in the rearranged match, which was initially postponed from October 25 due to a swine flu outbreak in the PSG camp. Indeed, Gabriel Heinze’s scruffy first half header was enough to ensure les Phoceens claimed maximum points.

“We did what we needed to do, which was to take the three points,” Deschamps was quoted as saying after the game by Ligue 1’s official website.

“I'd be happy to win every game 1-0. It was a tough match - the players tired as the game went on, and the last few minutes were tense.

"We can savour this, especially as we have made up some ground on the leaders. We're now in a much more interesting position."

A clean sheet was also pleasing for the coach, especially coming off the back of a hectic 5-5 draw with Olympique Lyonnais prior to the international break.

“We defended really well as a team. The only thing was that we didn't show the same threat going forward as we did in Lyon,” he noted.

While there was ecstasy for the home fans, whose vociferous support backed their side until the final whistle, visiting coach Antoine Kombouare was left down, as his side crumbled to another loss.

“It's a huge disappointment, because aside from the defeat, our first half display was very poor,” the former Valenciennes coach said.

“We didn't defend well and we left them far too much possession. We were eaten alive in the midfield and couldn't play at all.

“We played better towards the end of the first half and played well in the second half, pushing very hard towards the end. Having said that, we didn't do enough going forward to really worry them.”

Marseille are now only three points shy of leaders Girondins de Bordeaux, though Laurent Blanc’s men play on Saturday. PSG are 13th and face the prospect of slipping further down the table when the rest of the weekend’s games are played.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com

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