Chapter 87 – Run-In: Metz
Corner swung in.
Balerdi rose above his man but the header went wide.
Metz countered fast.
Three passes and Mikautadze was through, he shot but it went off the bar.
Marseille were barely holding on.
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Halftime.
0–0.
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The match had neither rhythm nor control, just tension.
Kweku walked off with his head down.
No frustration or panic.
Just thinking about what to change in the second half.
The whistle blew, second half.
FC Metz kicked off quickly.
No hesitation.
Straight into rhythm.
Sabaly dropped deep, collected and turned then went forward immediately.
Georges Mikautadze peeled off the shoulder.
Through ball.
Sharp.
Shot—
Saved.
Again.
Pau López.
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"BIG save! Marseille survive again!"
Kweku exhaled slowly, that was too close.
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Marseille tried to respond but it didn't stick. Passes were rushed, touches heavy and Metz were pressing in waves.
Kweku received wide.
Instant pressure.
Ismaël Traoré tight again.
Second defender closing.
He didn't turn just a back pass and moved forward but still nothing.
---
Metz were building again, they had a lot to lose, though not in immediate danger they were close to the relegation zone.
They switched wide.
Cross whipped in—
Mikautadze attacked, but it was cleared by Balerdi.
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"Rennes knocking louder now!"
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At the hour mark, Kweku dropped deeper.
Collected and then drove forward. He zoomed past one but the second got the ball off him calmly.
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Time was slipping and both sides could feel it
The game tightened. Every duel was heavier, every pass sharper and every mistake louder.
---
On the touchline, Jean-Louis Gasset watched silently.
Arms folded.
No shouting.
Just watching.
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Minute 66.
Kondogbia won the ball.
Strong.
Drove forward.
Slipped it wide to Guendouzi this time.
He paused.
Shifted his weight.
Tried to accelerate—
Blocked.
Ball out.
Throw-in.
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"Marseille just can't find a way through today."
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Minute 70.
Marseille made a change.
Fresh legs.
Ndiaye came on for Harit.
Aubameyang dropped deeper now.
Linking more.
The game shifted slightly after that.
---
Quick passing and one-touch football were Gasset's message to the substitutes
Guendouzi got it out wide—
Ndiaye who drove forward utilising his pace and technical ability.
Cross—
Blocked again for a corner.
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Metz countered.
Fast.
Amadou Diallo is leading.
Slip pass—
Lamkel Zé through—
Shot—
Saved.
---
"Pau López AGAIN! He's keeping Marseille alive!"
Kweku jogged back with his hands on his hips, he was breathing heavier now from tiredness and the fact that he couldn't make an impact on the match.
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Minute 83.
Marseille got another breakthrough.
Onodugbia intercepted a pass.
Quick.
Sharp.
Forward immediately.
Aubameyang dropped.
Held it and waited, he took one touch and slipped a pass inside.
Ndiaye through the middle.
Shot—Deflected but it fell right back to him and this time he put it in the back of the net.
Goal.
1–0.
"GOAL! Marseille FINALLY break through!"
The stadium erupted with relief more than joy.
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Kweku didn't celebrate wildly.
Just clapped once, he was happy but it didn't feel like he'd contributed.
In the final minutes
Metz pushed with everything forward.
Structure was gone leaving urgency only.
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Cross into the box—
Cleared.
Second ball—
Shot—
Blocked. Another attempt.
Caught by Pau López.
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"Marseille hanging on!"
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Then the ref blew the final whistle and the Marseille players collapsed. The match was nerve-racking in every sense of the word.
But they'd fought for the win, it wasn't pretty or dominant but it was enough.
--
Kweku walked off quietly.
No headlines waiting for him this time.
No moments to replay but the table would change.
Two matches left for him to prove himself as more than a star that shone for a few matches.