Handed a start on the right flank in Marseille’s 1-0 win at Leverkusen in the Europa League, full-back Kelyann Bezahaf delivered a performance rated top class by OneFootball and Foot Marseille.
Marseille’s trip to Leverkusen on Thursday 5 November boils down to the scoreline: 1-0, their first Europa League win of the season after three defeats on the trot (MadeInFoot, Foot Marseille). Yet in the detail, one young right-back’s display caught the eye.
Fielded on the right of the defence, Kelyann Bezahaf, a 2024 Gambardella winner, met the demands of a high-stakes game and a German atmosphere. The assessments from OneFootball and Foot Marseille, which are not official statistics, paint the picture of a player who rose to the occasion.
Duels, reading and runs
On the pitch, Bezahaf came up notably against the Rhine side’s attacks led by Ibrahim Maza. According to OneFootball, he was rarely found wanting: duels won, constant vigilance and a sound reading of the game.
The full-back did more than defend. Also according to OneFootball, he pushed forward, with initiative and clean technique that brought spontaneity to a sometimes tense Marseille side. An attacking contribution that rounded off a solid defensive display.
A collective clean sheet
The individual performance fitted into a team result. According to Foot Marseille, the Marseille defence, with Aguerd and Egan-Riley in the centre and Bezahaf on the right, kept a clean sheet and conceded very few chances.
The line-up at Leverkusen featured de Lange in goal, Bezahaf on the right and Garcia on the left, with Højbjerg and Kondogbia in midfield (Foot Marseille). In that set-up, the young full-back responded with a composure unexpected for a player his age, OneFootball believes.
A pecking order to rethink?
For OneFootball, this display could reshuffle the pecking order on Marseille’s right flank in the eyes of Bruno Genesio. That hypothesis remains to be confirmed, however, and nothing guarantees an immediate change.
The performance at any rate gives the Marseille coach an extra option in his rotation. Marseille’s next match, in which Bezahaf could be handed another start, will show whether that choice is confirmed.