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The Harambee Stars defender was the second highest rated Reims player after his impressive display at the Stade Velodrome but still ended up empty-handed
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu suffered defeat on his Ligue 1 debut as Stade de Reims lost 2-1 away to Marseille in their league opener on Saturday.
Okumu was handed a start by coach Will Still at the heart of the Reims’ defence and he gave a good account of himself at the Orange Velodrome.
Reims raced into a lead inside the opening 10 minutes. The hosts failed to adequately clear their lines, allowing Marshall Munetsi to nod across the box and find Junya Ito, who rifled home on the volley into the bottom corner.
A superb finish from the Japan international was soon upstaged as Marseille levelled in some style. Azzedine Ounahi was the man on target, unleashing from 25 yards after being allowed too much time on the ball and equalising in spectacular fashion.
An entertaining first period only ramped up from there, as both sides saw goals ruled out before the interval. Okumu also came close to scoring in the first half, seeing his bullet header saved by Marseille goalkeeper Paul Lopez after connecting well from a corner in the 31st minute.
The home side ramped up the pressure after the break, and although they were made to wait, they eventually got their reward. Ismaila Sarr, brought off the bench earlier in the half for his Marseille debut, was the provider for Vitinha to put the hosts into the lead for the first time in the match.
Okumu played a hand in the goal somewhat as he got his leg to the ball in an attempt to clear it out but actually helped it cross the line.
That did not take away what was a good display from the Kenyan, however, as he manned the Reims backline effectively.
He was also key to keeping former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quiet and had a moment of class when he sent the forward crashing on his backside after dribbling past him with ease.
Okumu had the second highest rating among Reims players, getting a Whoscored rating of 6.9 after an 87 percent pass accuracy, winning three aerial duels while he had two dribbles as well as one tackle.
The former KAA Gent defender also had a late header as Still’s men searched for a response, but failed to find a way through the Marseille backline, leaving them winless in each of their last four season openers.
This has become a bogey fixture for Reims, as they saw their 17-match unbeaten run last season ended by Marseille.
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