Oostende’s big party

By Robson Sharuko

Zimbabwe captain Knowledge Musona’s spectacular goal at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome – France’s biggest club football ground – last week has sparked great expectations in Oostende as the Belgian city prepares to host a huge party tomorrow night when European football rolls into town for the first time.

Musona, who celebrated his 27th birthday on June 21 just a few weeks after becoming the first Warriors skipper to score a hat-trick in a Nations Cup qualifier in the 3-0 win over Liberia in Harare, illuminated the 67 394-seater Stade Velodrome last Thursday as he broke his Uefa Europa League duck in style.

KV Oostende were making their debut in European club football, fielding a team of players who were also playing at this level of the game for the first time, and crashed 2-4 at the hands of French giants Olympique Marseille in a Europa League Cup third round, first leg match.

Marseille are former European champions, beating Italian powerhouse AC Milan 1-0 in the final in Munich, Germany, in 1993, and they have strengthened their squad with a number of big-name acquisitions, including former West Ham star Dmitry Payet who arrived in January in a 25 million pound deal.

The French giants also fielded French international goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who returned to Marseille last month after just a single season in the English Premiership with Crystal Palace, in a 2 million deal which will rise to about6m.

Another Frenchman, Patrice Evra, who starred at Manchester United and Juventus, was also recruited by Marseille and played in that Europa Cup first leg battle against KV Oostende last Thursday before being substituted late in the second half.

Brazilian midfielder Luis Gustavo, who rejected a move to English Premiership giants Arsenal three years ago to stay at Germany Bundesliga side Wolfsburg where he spent four seasons, also arrived at Marseille this year and was part of the team that faced KV Oostende.

“Marseille feel rejuvenated following last October’s ownership change. The man behind the money, American Frank McCourt, wasted no time with the appointment of Rudi Garcia only three days after he officially walked through the door himself,” UEFA said.

“The prime reason behind the refreshed feel surrounding the club is surely the influx of notable players who have arrived in the past 10 months. Dimitri Payet, Florian Thauvin, Luis Gustavo, Patrice Evra, Val’re Germain, Steve Mandanda and Adil Rami are just some of those admirable arrivals.

“Expectations are high, and such experienced names should figure frequently should Marseille advance to latter stages of the tournament.

“Contrastingly, Oostende are struggling to hold on to some of last season’s success stories, with striker Lamine Dimata and right-back Adam Marusic joining VFL Wolfsburg & AS Lazio respectively.

“Despite this, some acquisitions have been made.

39 times capped Belgian centre half Nicolas Lombaerts joined on a free from Zenit alongside Richairo Zivkovic, a man once dubbed as having world class potential.

It won’t be an easy hurdle for Marseille up against a confident Oostende side.

“If the Belgians can forget their formidable surroundings, they will look to inflict fast, free-flowing football on the flanks through Zimbabwean Knowledge Musona and speedster Zivkovic.”

Cameroon international midfielder Sebastian Siani, the KV Oostende skipper, struck in the first half, grabbing a landmark first European club football goal for the Belgian side and the first goal scored at the majestic Stade Velodrome in the year the stadium is marking 80 years after it was first opened.

Warriors talisman Musona then scored the second for his side in the 69th minute – a beauty of a goal – to give his team some hope ahead of the second leg of the qualifying battle in Oostende tomorrow night.

The Zimbabwe captain, who was playing wide on the left channel, crept into acres of space down the middle to run to a superb flick by new Oostende Dutch acquisition Zivkovic, who was signed from Ajax Amsterdam in June this year, to score a peach of a goal.

Musona had the presence of mind to realise that French international goalkeeper Mandanda had drifted off his line and, without taking ing a touch to control the ball, connected it first time, giving it a spin that lifted it past the ‘keeper to produce the perfect lob, from outside the box, for the ball to fly home.

The beautiful goal has charmed a lot of neutrals and many respected analysts with journalist Zaid Khan posting a video of the strike on the authoritative Goal.com website under the headline, ‘watch Musona’s great goal against Marseille,” and going further to suggest that Kaizer Chiefs “could really do with the Zimbabwean’s quality.”

The South African Citizen newspaper also posted a video of the goal on their website and said “KV Oostende forward Knowledge Musona scored a brilliant goal against Olympique Marseille in a Europa third round qualifier on Thursday night.”

Musona’s agent Paschalis Tountouris, the founder of Prosport Europe, also posted a video of the goal on his Twitter page describing the goal as a ‘fantastic lob’ and ‘top class.”

“Knowledge Musona fantastic lob for @kvoostende vs Olympique Marseille for the EuropaLeague #TopClass@KMusonaofficial.”

Tountouris travelled to Marseille to watch the match.

Tomorrow, Marseille’s All-Star Team are in Oostende for the second leg of their qualifier and the Belgians, who were accompanied by about 1 000 fans to France for their battle in Marseille, are preparing for a party as European club football comes to town for the first time tomorrow night.

It has been a long wait for KV Oostende for a home dance with European club football since their formation in 1904, but tomorrow night they get their chance when they host Marseille at their compact Versluys Arena which has a capacity of 8 432.

“We lost 4-2, but we put a great performance in the V’lodrome. And who knows we’ll put this in our Versluys Arena right next Thursday? All the way to a full house,” KV Oostende said on the social media platforms.

Musona has also been following his beloved Warriors and on July 9, after the team won the COSAFA Castle Cup, tweeted, “Well Done Guys!! Zim Warriors ndokuti bhora ka Congrats to the team and the whole Nation.” The Herald