Classique Act 100 (2/4): 1986 to 2000

Bernard Tapie's arrival as OM president marked the first turning point in the history of the Classique as Marseille dominated until the early 2000s. On November 28 1986 the Parisiens were heavily beaten at the Vélodrome (0-4), with an unfortunate Joël Bats who was replaced in goal at half time through injury. He was replaced by... defender Philippe Jeannol as at that time only two substitutes were in the matchday squad.  The surprise goalkeeper has never forgotten that encounter: "People talk to me about this game every year before the Classique! car à cette époque deux remplaçants seulement étaient alignés sur la feuille de match. Le gardien de but de fortune n’a jamais oublié cette rencontre : "People talk to me about this game every year before the Classique! It was very hard: we played a high line so I found myself one on one with their strikers a lot. I conceded two goals and we'd already conceded two in the first half which means I was as good as  Joël Bats and I could have been in the French National team!" 

During that period the Rouge et Bleu had to settle with a few prestigious wins at the Parc des Princes and just one win at the Velodrome as the club was fighting to stay in the top flight. On May 21 1988 a special performance from Safet Susic saved the club from the capital and put an end to Marseille's title hopes.  A year later Paris Saint-Germain lost the French league title in the final few moments in Marseille (0-1, May 5 1989) after having a tight game with the star studded OM. Despite another win at the Parc des Princes (2-1, April 21 1990 with goals from Gaby Calderon and Zlatko Vujovic) things didn't change in 1991 as Canal+ were at the head of the Parisian club.

The Classiques are then plagued with controversial actions and often ended in a close fought Marseille victory. The relegation to the second division (ex Ligue 2) from 1994 to 1996 put the rivalry on hold for a short while the Parisians then recorded European success to join OM in the French people's heart. Bitter sweet memories for  Antoine Kombouaré : " I didn't enjoy the rivalry and the atmosphere around these games at the Parc des Princes. For me football is a game. At that time the rivalry between the two sides was bigger than the  football, whether it was on or off the pitch. There was  an extreme amount of tension. I'd rather football was a party than a battle." 

November 8 1997 left a sour taste in the fans' mouths as Marseille won at the  Parc des Princes (1-2) and a feeling of being hard done by as Fabrizio Ravanelli was given a penalty for a non-existant foul by Éric Rabésandrana. Paris Saint-Germain would go on to get their revenge the season after by beating Marseille in the final moments of the game in Paris through two goals from Marco Simone et Bruno Rodriguez. The Rouge et Bleu saved their season and the points dropped that day on May 5 1999 would be decisive in the race for the title finally won by Bordeaux ahead of Marseille. An unforgettable memory for Marco Simone : "It was one of our only happy moments in that season. We played superbly and I managed to score! That didn't save our season but it gave our fans a moment of happiness and emotion when they needed it." 

Classique Act 100 (1/4): The start!