Marseille draw frustrates Garde

6 February 2012 08:42

Despite trailing Marseille 2-0 in their match on Sunday, Lyon boss Remi Garde felt his side deserved more than a point after a 2-2 draw.

Despite trailing Marseille 2-0 in their match on Sunday, Lyon boss Remi Garde felt his side deserved more than a point after a 2-2 draw.

Bafetimbi Gomis' strike and a Souleymane Diawara own goal restored parity for Lyon at the Stade Velodrome just before half-time.

The result means Garde's men stay in fourth, seven points behind second-placed Montpellier who won 1-0 at home to Brest.

"We could have taken all three points if we'd made more of our one or two chances. It leaves a bit of a taste of something not achieved, but this is still a good prize," Garde said.

"It was a match where we found space for ourselves a lot. At the back we found a few solutions. At 2-0 down it's important to be realistic. But at the same time it was never over and we were able to impose ourselves on the game."

Garde was happy with his side's spirit but knows time is running out to catch Montpellier and runaway leaders PSG.

"I think we had opportunities over the course of the match to gain an advantage and deserve a bit more than we got. There aren't that many points left to play for."

"We've got a team full of character, I think. We even showed something other than character this evening. We lacked a bit of success with our end-product."

"Anything is possible. It's possible that we can climb up towards Paris (Saint-Germain). For us it's not about worrying about other teams but concentrating on ourselves."

The 45-year-old admitted the calibre of opponent would help with preparations for their crunch Champions League tie with Apoel Nicosia.

"It was an important test. I think it was a good rehearsal for the away matches we have in the coming weeks - particularly in the Champions League."

Meanwhile, Marseille coach Didier Deschamps has criticised his squad for squandering the two-goal advantage against Lyon.

"I'm both disappointed and not," the former France captain said according to Ligue1.com.

"Yes, because we were fortunate enough to be two goals up after an excellent opening 35 minutes. No, because after that we took our foot off the gas and conceded an avoidable own goal."

"Even though we bounced back in the second half, we let Lyon back into the match, and they had more chances than we did, almost punishing us at the end," he said.

Deschamps went on to say that his team's crowded fixture schedule could have been a contributing factor to his side's fatigue after the break.

"We didn't have the juice left at the end to turn the match in our favour. We've been playing every three or four days."

"We're in the thick of it now. We absolutely have to stay on this positive dynamic," he said.

Marseille are still competing on four fronts, having reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, the Coupe de la Ligue final and the last 16 of the Coupe de France.