Football

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) extended their dominance over arch-rivals Marseille with a resounding 3-0 victory at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday. The triumph propelled PSG to the summit of Ligue 1, three points clear of Monaco, who suffered their first defeat of the season.The highly-anticipated Classique was effectively decided by halftime as PSG raced to a commanding three-goal lead. Marseille's misery was compounded by the dismissal of Amine Harit for a reckless challenge on Marquinhos.PSG's Joao Neves opened the scoring early on, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error by Geronimo Rulli. The match took a decisive turn in the 20th minute when Harit was sent off, leaving Marseille with a numerical disadvantage.Just nine minutes later, Leonardo Balerdi inadvertently doubled PSG's lead with an own goal. Bradley Barcola then put the game beyond doubt with a clinical finish five minutes before the break.Marseille, who had started the season strongly, endured a chastening night as their 12-match winless streak against PSG at home continued. Hundreds of their fans had already departed by halftime, expressing their frustration with the team's lackluster performance."I'm disappointed," said Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi. "We had prepared a match of courage and personality. But up until Harit was sent off, there was neither courage nor personality."Meanwhile, Monaco's title hopes suffered a setback as they fell 2-1 to Nice in the Côte d'Azur derby. Breel Embolo gave Monaco the lead, but Nice rallied with goals from Evann Guessand and Gaetan Laborde. Monaco's defeat, coupled with PSG's victory, leaves them three points behind the league leaders."I'm not happy with the result," said Monaco coach Adi Huetter. "When you lose a derby, everyone is disappointed. But we're guilty because we had the game in our hands. And it came down to two stupid mistakes."In other Ligue 1 action, Lyon drew 2-2 with Auxerre, while Strasbourg climbed to the top half of the table with a 3-1 victory over Nantes. Toulouse also impressed with a 3-0 win at Montpellier.

Marseille's resurgence under Roberto De Zerbi hit a roadblock on Sunday as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Strasbourg. Diego Moreira's first-half strike condemned Marseille to their first loss of the season, preventing them from joining Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco at the top of Ligue 1.Despite Marseille's dominance in possession, Strasbourg's resolute defense held firm. Moreira's clinical finish just before the break proved decisive, as Marseille failed to find an equalizer despite several chances.Meanwhile, Lyon snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory at Toulouse thanks to a 95th-minute winner from Malick Fofana. Yann Gboho had given Toulouse an early lead, but Lyon fought back with an own goal from Rasmus Nicolaisen and Fofana's late heroics.Reims continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-1 away win over Angers. Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito gave Reims a commanding lead within the first 25 minutes, and Marshall Munetsi sealed the victory in the second half. Angers remain rooted to the bottom of the table, the only team yet to win a match.Saint-Etienne earned a valuable away point against Nantes, thanks to a second-half brace from Ibrahim Sissoko. Johann Lepenant and Sorba Thomas had given Nantes a 2-0 lead, but Sissoko's goals in the 57th and 67th minutes secured a draw for the promoted side.

Marseille's resilience shone through as they snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Lyon in a pulsating 'Olympico' derby on Sunday. Despite being reduced to 10 men early on, Roberto De Zerbi's side rallied to secure a crucial win that propelled them to second place in Ligue 1.The match erupted into chaos from the outset, with Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi receiving a red card within five minutes for a reckless challenge. Lyon capitalized on their numerical advantage, with former Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car heading them into the lead. However, Marseille refused to be deterred. Pol Lirola equalized in the 69th minute, and Ulisses Garcia gave them the lead with just eight minutes remaining.Lyon appeared to have salvaged a point when Rayan Cherki scored in the third minute of added time. But Marseille had the final say. Jonathan Rowe, who had come on as a substitute, drove forward from the left wing, beat two defenders, and unleashed a thunderous shot that flew past Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri.The victory was a testament to Marseille's character and determination. Despite being a man down, they never gave up and fought back valiantly. De Zerbi praised his team's spirit, saying, "We dedicate this victory to Balerdi. He made a mistake, but we don't abandon him."Meanwhile, Monaco maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Le Havre. Jordan Teze gave Monaco an early lead, but Daler Kuzyaev equalized for Le Havre. Eliesse Ben Seghir and Folarin Balogun scored in quick succession in the second half to secure the win for Monaco.

Mason Greenwood's blistering start to his Marseille career continued on Saturday as the former Manchester United striker fired two goals in a minute to propel his new club to a 3-1 victory over Toulouse. The 22-year-old, who has now scored five goals in three games for Marseille, pounced on a loose ball in the 16th minute and added a second a minute later to give the visitors a commanding lead.Greenwood's goals came after a promising start for Toulouse, who had created several chances in the opening minutes. However, the hosts' hopes were dealt a blow when forward Frank Magri was sent off for a foul on Geoffrey Kondogbia in the 27th minute.Marseille took full advantage of their numerical superiority, with Brazilian forward Luis Henrique providing the assists for both of Greenwood's goals. Henrique thought he had scored himself seven minutes into the second half, but the goal was later awarded as an own goal to Charlie Cresswell.Toulouse managed to find some consolation just before the end when Gabon striker Shavy Babicka slotted home a through ball from Djibril Sidibe. However, it was too little too late for the hosts, who remain winless after three games.Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi praised his team's performance in the first half but admitted that they need to improve their speed and mentality. "We had a good first half, scoring two goals," De Zerbi told DAZN after the match. "It gave us an advantage to have an extra player and we relied on our strength in one-on-ones, particularly Greenwood, to score the brace.""We still need to improve the speed and mentality of this team. We shouldn't have conceded the goal, should have won 3-0."Marseille's victory takes them to the top of the Ligue 1 table with seven points, level with Nantes who won 3-1 away at Montpellier. Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, who have six points, can go top of the table with victory at Lille on Sunday.

Mason Greenwood's Marseille debut was a resounding success, as he scored twice in a 5-1 rout of Brest in Ligue 1. The former Manchester United forward opened the scoring within three minutes and added another from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark. Luis Henrique also netted twice for Marseille, while Elye Wahi converted a second penalty to complete the scoring.Greenwood's arrival at Marseille has been met with controversy, as he was suspended by Manchester United in January 2022 following allegations of attempted rape and sexual assault. However, prosecutors dropped the charges in February 2023, and he spent last season on loan at Getafe.Despite the off-field concerns, Greenwood's performance on Saturday was impressive. He was involved in all three of Marseille's first-half goals, winning the penalty for the second and setting up both of Luis Henrique's strikes.Marseille's new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was delighted with his team's performance. "I'm very happy with everything. I'm very pleased with the result and the attitude of the team," he said. "I don't know if we're really good and I don't know where we'll come, but people must be sure that this is a group of hard-working players, which is important."Brest's third-place finish last season was their best ever, but they got off to a poor start in their first game of the new campaign. They conceded three goals in the first half and were unable to recover."We're certainly going to have to rethink things if we want to get a good result at Lens," said Brest coach Eric Roy. "You can go down heavily as we did today... what's important is to know a bit about this team's ability to react."In another Ligue 1 match, Lille beat Reims 2-0 despite a frightening head injury sustained by Angel Gomes. The former Manchester United midfielder was knocked unconscious by a clash of heads and had to be stretchered off the pitch.Lille coach Bruno Genesio said he was "very, very scared" by the incident and criticized the conduct of Reims midfielder Amadou Kone, who was sent off for the challenge."There are things we shouldn't see on a pitch. There are fouls you can excuse. This one for me is not one," said Genesio.Bafode Diakite put Lille ahead towards the end of 34 minutes of added time in the first half and Jonathan David sealed victory late on.Monaco, last season's runners-up, beat promoted Saint-Etienne 1-0 courtesy of a Takumi Minamino goal.Paris Saint-Germain began their title defense with a 4-1 win at Le Havre on Friday in their first game since the departure of talisman Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid.

Marseille and Atalanta played to a thrilling 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, setting up an intriguing second leg in Bergamo next Thursday.Atalanta, who stunned Liverpool in the quarter-finals, took an early lead through Gianluca Scamacca, who capitalized on a defensive lapse to fire past Pau Lopez. However, Marseille responded swiftly, with Chancel Mbemba unleashing a stunning strike from outside the box to level the scores.The draw leaves the tie finely poised, with Atalanta holding a slight advantage as they seek to reach their first European final. The Italian side has been impressive in this season's competition, showcasing their attacking prowess and resilience.Marseille, on the other hand, have been formidable at home, with Paris Saint-Germain being the only visiting team to defeat them at the Velodrome in 90 minutes this season. However, their struggles on the road have been evident, making their semi-final appearance a commendable achievement.Despite the draw, Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset expressed some disappointment, believing his team had chances to secure a victory. "I am not completely satisfied because we had two or three chances to win the match 2-1," he said. "But it is only half-time in the tie, and we are going to go and give everything in Italy."Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was pleased with his team's performance, acknowledging Marseille's strength. "It is a very positive result for us because Marseille were strong," he said. "They have only lost once here all season, and we found out why that is tonight."The second leg in Bergamo promises to be a captivating affair, with both teams aiming to secure a place in the final in Dublin later this month. Atalanta will be favored, but Marseille will be determined to overcome their travel woes and make history.

Kylian Mbappe's impending departure from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) adds an extra layer of intrigue to the upcoming clash between the French giants and their bitter rivals, Marseille. The match, scheduled for Sunday at the iconic Velodrome stadium, marks Mbappe's final taste of the intense rivalry before his expected move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.PSG's dominance over Marseille has been undeniable since the Qatari takeover in 2011. The Parisians boast a 12-point lead at the top of the table, making Mbappe's sixth league title in seven seasons with the club a near certainty. Marseille, on the other hand, languish in seventh place, despite a recent resurgence under new coach Jean-Louis Gasset.Mbappe's decision to leave PSG has been met with mixed reactions. While some fans are disappointed to see him go, others believe it's time for him to seek a new challenge. The 25-year-old has already hinted that he intends to join Real Madrid, a move that would reunite him with his former teammate, Karim Benzema.Despite his impending departure, Mbappe remains a key figure for PSG. He has rediscovered his best form in recent weeks, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Montpellier. His 38 goals in 37 appearances this season have been instrumental in PSG's success.Marseille will be hoping to spoil Mbappe's farewell party and claim a rare victory over their arch-rivals. However, they face an uphill battle against a PSG side that is in imperious form. Luis Enrique's team is undefeated in 24 matches since early November and will be confident of extending that run.The match will also be a test of character for Mbappe. He was jeered by sections of the crowd during France's friendly win over Chile at the Velodrome earlier this week. The PSG star admitted that he would understand if he were booed again on Sunday, but he vowed to remain focused on the game.