Marseille snagged three crucial Ligue 1 points tonight, pushing them within three points of the podium, but holy smokes, they almost threw it all away after letting a commanding four-goal lead disappear in a frantic, seven-goal thriller at the Velodrome. What a ride, what a scare!
An Early Blitz, Then the Wheels Almost Came Off
Bruno Genesio’s squad looked absolutely untouchable early on. CJ Egan-Riley, of all people, was left wide open to head home his first Ligue 1 goal inside five minutes, and it was Emerson with the perfect cross to set him up. Then Timothy Weah, rocking the captain’s armband, put on a clinic on 33 minutes, just weaving past three defenders for the second goal of the night. Igor Paixao added another, and when Himad Abdelli fired a half-volley into the top corner on 55 minutes, it was a beautiful 4-0, and everyone thought it was game over, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong. Bottom-placed Le Havre, still chasing their first league win, decided they weren’t going down without a fight. Weah, who was brilliant earlier, conceded a penalty for a shirt tug on Rayan Fofana midway through the second half, and Josh Maja converted it. That was just the spark Le Havre needed. Lamine N’Diaye tapped in a rebound after Jeffrey de Lange parried an effort, and then Maja headed in another, deflecting off Egan-Riley. Just like that, three goals in 12 minutes for Le Havre, and suddenly, that four-goal cushion felt like a leaky raft in a storm. Marseille looked incredibly vulnerable after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who brought serious bite and control, was subbed off in the 84th minute.
Abdelli’s Brilliance Versus Defensive Jitters
While the team nearly choked, Himad Abdelli was a man possessed, truly the standout performer with a 9/10 rating. Le Havre even assigned Amir Richardson to man-mark him, but it didn’t matter. He started the move for Paixao’s goal with a sharp turn and pass, then capped his night with that incredible half-volley. He was denied twice more by the keeper, even shook off an ankle knock, and left to a standing ovation. Nayef Aguerd was a beast too, getting an 8/10, dominant in the air and making a crunching tackle that led to a goal-line rescue. Emerson, also 8/10, not only assisted the opener but had a massive goal-line clearance to deny Maja when de Lange was beaten.
But man, the defense still has questions. Egan-Riley had that early goal but also a sloppy error and that deflection off him for Le Havre’s third. Tochukwu Nnadi screened the defense well for an hour, but he committed four fouls, one leading to Le Havre’s third goal, and was incredibly lucky to escape a VAR penalty review for a handball deep in stoppage time. Seriously, a lengthy VAR review for a Nnadi handball that could have given Le Havre a penalty to tie it? Talk about holding your breath! Referee Clement Turpin waved away the appeals, saving Marseille from what would have been an epic collapse.
What Now for the Podium Chase?
Marseille got the win, their third in a row, and are now right there, just three points from the podium. But how they got it has to be a major talking point. They need to find a way to maintain that intensity and control when they’re up. That late VAR call might have been the difference between celebrating three points and a full-blown meltdown. With the podium in sight, they can’t afford any more nearly-missed scares like this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply