OM - Eintracht: Eagles grab late win

Four months after picking up a silver medal in the UEFA Europa League final, Olympique de Marseille began the 2018-19 edition with a limp 1-2 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.

After two morale boosting wins in the league, attention turned to Europe where OM had been hoping to continue the fantastic adventure of last year against the German side, though in an empty Stade Velodrome.

The lack of support initially didn’t seem to have an impact as Lucas Ocampos struck three minutes into the game. The Argentine latched on to a fine pass from Thauvin to poke past Kevin Trapp, the goalkeeper on loan from PSG.

Frankfurt did have their chances too, with Pele saving from Muller and Gacinovic in particular, while Payet and Thauvin saw efforts thwarted by the goalkeeper.

Lucas Torro equalised early in the second half, but when Jetro Willems saw red for a second booking, OM really began to turn up the heat on the visitors.

But Thauvin and Germain spurned several opportunities to steal a winner, before a mistake from Nemanja Radonjic gifted Jovic an 89th minute winner that took all 3 points to Germany.

OM will have to dust themselves off with a big game against Lyon on the horizon on Sunday.