Olympiacos win no shock for OM's Mandanda
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Article summary
Captain Steve Mandanda was confident Olympique de Marseille would prevail in a tight game at Olympiacos FC, saying of the 1-0 win: "It was just a matter of time before we got a goal."
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![Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda rises to collect the ball at Olympiacos Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda rises to collect the ball at Olympiacos](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/01f5-0ea2bd4c5c46-8291fbd12367-1000/format/wide1/steve_mandanda_olympique_de_marseille_.jpeg?imwidth=158)
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Captain Steve Mandanda felt Olympique de Marseille's 1-0 UEFA Champions League win at Olympiacos FC was a "logical victory" given the overall performance of Didier Deschamps's side. Meanwhile, defender Olof Mellberg was happy with the Greek team's defensive solidity and sounded optimistic that they could turn their Group F fortunes around despite this matchday one defeat.
Steve Mandanda, Marseille goalkeeper and captain
It was a logical victory because we had a few chances; we hit the post and we had their defence troubled. It was just a matter of time before we got a goal. This is an important win, it will help us in the group and with our confidence [Marseille are yet to win in five Ligue 1 games]. We are not favorites to qualify; the two favorites played tonight in Germany where the match [between Dortmund and Arsenal] ended 1-1. There is still a long way to go in terms of the qualification picture as there are five more games. We have done our job and we have to push on from here. We expected a little more from Olympiacos. I think we didn't see them at their best. It was difficult for them because it was their first competitive match of the season. We did expect an intimidating atmosphere, and that is exactly what we got.
Olof Mellberg, Olympiacos defender
Nothing is over yet in terms of qualification from the group. The fact that this was our first competitive game due to the postponements in the domestic league certainly has not helped us, but once we have more games under our belts then we will be better. I think we were very solid defensively overall; there weren't really many chances for either side. Our aim is to improve and I believe we will. We can beat Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal at our ground and we can also beat Marseille away from home. I'm optimistic and I believe we can do it.
Vassilis Torossidis, Olympiacos defender
We weren't as prepared as we should have been but I think a draw would have been a fair result. Marseille had some chances but we could have equalised after they went 1-0 ahead.
Jean Makoun, Olympiacos midfielder
We didn't play as we would have liked to. Marseille enjoyed more of the possession and had a better rhythm. It's not a good experience, losing at home; for us a draw would have been a good result. Now we need to look for a win away from home. The lack of competitive matches was not the only factor which caused this result, but it created problems for us.