OM easily get rid of Chauvigny and go to the knockout stages of the Coupe de France

Jorge Sampaoli was seriously wary of this round of 16 in the Coupe de France against Chauvigny, the National 3 team which hosted OM this Sunday evening in Limoges. The Argentine technician had heard of the club’s recent eliminations against the « little ones » and he even witnessed the humiliating defeat against Canet en Roussillon (N2) last season. It is therefore with his typical team and all in concentration that the third in Ligue 1 landed on the meadow to secure a place in the eighth (3-0).

The only notable change in Sampaoli’s usual eleven was the start in the cages of Steve Mandanda who celebrated his 600th appearance with the Olympian jersey. The French international has hardly been involved except on a fist exit that he had to achieve to ward off danger. The quiet game he spent says it all about the mastery his teammates have shown.

Still it was necessary to be dangerous in front of a grouped formation – but permeable – and which tried to play the cons to the bottom without ever succeeding. Unlike the previous round, the Marseillais did not wait for the hour of play to engage the machine and take the lead. Launched by Payet, Cengiz Ünder and Arkadiusz Milik did not go far from opening the scoring in the first quarter of an hour.

Milik loves Cups

It was only a postponement: already author of a hat-trick in the 32nd against Cannet-Rocheville, the Pole would once again shine in the competition, this time by offering himself a splendid goal with an acrobatic end (30th ). Ünder would then double the setting with a flat left foot well assured on a service from Gerson who is showing himself more and more at ease with his new club (41st).

The contract was already fulfilled at the break but the visitors never gave up. Perhaps for fear of reliving the routs of the past, or more simply for wanting to start the year well. The newcomer Amine Harit would even take advantage of a new offering from Gerson and a failed exit from the opposing goalkeeper to give even more flavor to the qualification that was emerging.