PSG emerged victorious with a 4-0 win over OM on Sunday, closing the sixth round of Ligue 1 at Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique’s team now claims the third spot in the standings. Marseille, amidst a crisis and without a coach, suffers a third consecutive winless match in the championship.
Olympique de Marseille faced a heavy defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, September 24, in the closing match of the sixth round of Ligue 1, with PSG dominating with a 4-0 victory. However, PSG suffered a setback as their star player Kylian Mbappé was injured and had to leave the game.
This defeat at Parc des Princes, their first of the season, worsens the situation for the troubled Marseille club, which has been in turmoil for the past week following the departure of their coach, Marcelino.
Marseille had shown some signs of improvement at the end of the week with a good result against Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League on Thursday (3-3). On Friday, Marseille’s president, Pablo Longoria, announced that he would remain in charge of the club. However, Marseille’s performance against PSG was dominated by the opposing team, and they struggled to maintain possession of the ball.
This defeat concludes a week in which Marseille faced difficulties, starting with a disappointing draw against Toulouse (0-0) at the Vélodrome last Sunday. The situation worsened after a heated meeting between club officials and supporters’ associations, who demanded their resignation.
For PSG, who have been enjoying a relatively calm period in recent weeks, the future looks bright. This victory propels them to the third position in Ligue 1, tied on points with Monaco (4th), and behind Nice (2nd) and Brest (1st) based on goal difference.
However, the evening was overshadowed by Kylian Mbappé’s ankle injury in the first half. The forward, who had scored eight goals in five matches this season, was hurt in a collision with defender Leonardo Balerdi (6th minute). After several attempts to continue playing, Mbappé eventually left the field and headed to the dressing room, replaced by Gonçalo Ramos (31st minute).
Balerdi’s foul led to PSG’s first goal, as Achraf Hakimi’s curled shot from the right side of the box found the top corner of the net (8th minute).
The rest of the match saw a series of firsts for PSG: Randal Kolo Muani, also from Bondy like Mbappé, scored his first goal for the team. Attentive in the box, the former Frankfurt player opened his account with a right-footed shot into the empty net (37th minute) after Hakimi’s strike hit the post.
Despite a few attempts, such as Vitinha’s shot hitting the crossbar (24th minute), Marseille continued to struggle under the interim coach Jacques Abardonado, with their supporters unable to attend the match.
In the second half, PSG continued their dominance, with Gonçalo Ramos scoring his first goal for the team from Ousmane Dembélé’s assist. Ramos headed the ball into the net at the near post (47th minute) and completed a brace near the end of the match with an assist from RKM (89th minute).
Adding to the series of new developments, 21-year-old Frenchman Bradley Barcola made his first appearance for PSG, surprising many as he replaced Vitinha. He received applause from the crowd when he was substituted (83rd minute) for Nordi Mukiele, who made his return since March.
This victory against Marseille follows PSG’s 2-0 win against Dortmund, marking another strong performance for the team under coach Luis Enrique, despite their recent 3-2 defeat against Nice.
Luis Enrique had warned his players about the emotional aspect of such matches, and he must have been reassured by their performance, just ten days before their Champions League trip to Newcastle.
With AFP