The coach was delighted to celebrate with the winger as they sealed the second prize in a row.
Jorge Sampaoli pointed out Florian Thauvin for his praise after the Marseille player gave his new coach his goal against Brest.
Thauvin hit late in the game to recapture Marseille’s lead and marked with Sampaoli, who was able to celebrate his birthday with a win as Michael Cuisance went on to score in stoppage time to make it 3 -1 for the guests.
The victory is Marseille’s second since Sampaoli took control of the team as the Argentine rule began with a 1-0 win against Rennes on Wednesday.
What did Sampaoli say?
The 61-year-old was happy to save all three points from a difficult game and believes his team’s tactics were less influential than the feel of the game.
“Thauvin ‘s goal was very important to us. Flo Thauvin was very keen to celebrate this evening and came to dedicate it to me for my birthday,” Sampaoli said in a news conference.
“The energy the team has been able to put in and the changes they have made have allowed us to go for this impact.
“With the energy, the will, we will now be able to make progress in the game. It’s an impact based more on the emotions than on the tactics.”
What did Thauvin say?
Marseille had won just one of their last 11 games in Ligue 1 before Sampaoli arrived and Thauvin is delighted to see him turn the form around.
“It was a real test to see if we could combine two wins. It wasn’t easy but we did it. There was significant support from the substitutes. It allowed us to finish the game.
“I’m happy to see OM with that [happy] face again, it ‘s good for us, for the fans. Hope we can keep going. We will have a week to work well. “
Dimitri Payet, who founded Arkadiusz Milik for the opening goal early in the second half before Lilian Brassier equalized for Brest, is hopeful that OM can build on their positive start under Sampaoli.
“We have to congratulate Brest for trying to play,” he said Canal +.
“Between Luis Henrique and Cuisance, we saw that the substitutes were confident, as at the beginning of the week [against Rennes].
“That’s six points in two games, it’s very confident in the future. This will allow us to have a quieter week of rest and work.”
What now for Marseille?
Marseille, who are now fifth in Ligue 1, will face Nice in France’s top flight next week.
They will then host Dijon on April 4th.