Guendouzi inspires Marseille to conquer Lorient
Marseille supporters paid a series of tributes to controversial former president Bernard Tapie in the first match at the Vélodrome since his death.
Tapie died of stomach cancer at the age of 78 on October 3. He was the charismatic engine behind Marseille’s 1993 Champions League triumph.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side had lost their last two league games and fell behind when Armand Lauriente converted from the penalty spot after Stéphane Diarra was fouled by Brazilian defender Luan Peres.
Boubacar Kamara’s deflected strike on a Guendouzi pullback equalized Marseille in the 27th minute.
Arsenal player Guendouzi headed into an excellent Dimitri Payet corner to give the hosts the advantage before the hour mark, with Payet then playing Arkadiusz Milik to score his first goal since coming back from the match. ‘a long knee injury.
Marseille sealed the victory in stoppage time when Guendouzi’s shot was blocked by Lorient defender Houboulang Mendes.
Nice, a top-flight Ligue 1 side, were defeated by a well-crafted first goal as they lost 1-0 in Troyes earlier in the day, ceding third place to Marseille.
Nice entered the game with five wins in eight appearances this season, but struggling Troyes scored the only goal after just four minutes.
Renaud Ripart’s smart heel allowed Giulian Biancone to cross from the right wing and Mama Balde hammered the ball.
Nice were unable to gain a foothold in a frustrating game for the club owned by chemicals giant Ineos.
Former French defender Adil Rami, who was part of the squad that won the 2018 World Cup, made his Troyes debut as a first-half substitute.
“The start of the match was catastrophic and the whole match was catastrophic,” said Nice coach Christophe Galtier.
England striker Stephy Mavididi scored his third goal of the season as Montpellier beat Lens 1-0, second.
Lens lost only the second time this season, leaving Paris Saint-Germain nine points ahead.
Comments are closed.