PSG crushes Marseille 4-0 in a one-sided “classic”

2023-09-25 00:16:22
PSG Portuguese striker Gonçalo Ramos scores his second goal of the evening, against Marseille, at the Parc des Princes, September 24, 2023. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

For PSG, which has been sailing unusually on calm waters for several weeks, things are slowly falling into place. The Parisians returned to the podium during the 6th day by easily defeating Olympique de Marseille in the midst of a crisis on Sunday September 24. The only downside to this Ligue 1 “classic” won 4-0 for the Parisians was the exit after thirty minutes of play of striker Kylian Mbappé, injured in the ankle at the start of the match.

A hard blow for PSG, which is always more dependent on its striker at the start of the season, author of eight goals in five matches, as the trip to Newcastle approaches for the second Champions League match on October 4. “It’s not a serious problem, but there is pain, wanted to reassure the Spanish coach of PSG, Luis Enrique, on Prime Video. I think it was smarter to go out. But nothing important, ultimately it’s fine. »

The Parisian star striker was hit in the left ankle during contact with defender Leonardo Balerdi (6th). After going back and forth between the sidelines and the field, he left and returned to the locker room, replaced by Gonçalo Ramos (31st). This mistake by the Argentinian is at the origin of PSG’s first goal: at the right corner of the area, Achraf Hakimi’s curled shot was lodged in the top corner of Pau Lopez (8th). Already a scorer during the week in the European Cup against Dortmund, the Moroccan defender is in the process of forgetting his complicated second season at PSG, marked off the field by an indictment for rape.

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Succession of firsts

The rest of the match was a succession of firsts for the Parisian club. Striker Randal Kolo Muani, originally from Bondy like Mbappé, chose the classic to score his first goal under his new colors. Attentive in the area, the former Frankfurt player unlocked his counter for his second start, by catching from the right a powerful shot from Hakimi which had hit the post (37th). “For a first goal, I couldn’t dream of better”against OM, reacted Kolo Muani after the match.

Without their supporters deprived of travel and in a Parc des Princes des grands soirs decorated at the start of the match with a huge tifo, the Marseille players, coached by interim Jacques Abardonado, continued to suffer, despite a few attempts, such as that of Vitinha on the bar (24th).

A drop of water in an ocean. At the start of the locker room, PSG continued its momentum, with the first goal, again, from Gonçalo Ramos on the first assist from Ousmane Dembélé. The cross to the near post from the French international found the head of the Portuguese striker (47th), who scored a double at the end of the match on an offering from Kolo Muani (89th).

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To complete the series of new features, the young 21-year-old Frenchman Bradley Barcola was lined up from the start, for the first time, by Luis Enrique, always a fan of surprises, leaving Vitinha on the bench. The former Lyonnais received a standing ovation when he left (83rd), replaced by Nordi Mukiele, who has been back since March.

This easy success takes the Parisians to third place in the Ligue 1 standings, with a better goal difference than Monaco (4th), one point behind Nice and two behind the surprising leader, Brest. “Tonight, it’s a perfect match, we’re getting closer to the idea of ​​complete domination”judged coach Luis Enrique, after a second benchmark match in a week and the victory against Dortmund (2-0).

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“We can’t fall any lower”

For its part, Olympique de Marseille, seventh in the ranking, is diving. “We lacked everything: character, play, races, attitudejudged the Olympian goalkeeper, Pau Lopez sharply. It wasn’t a classic but a friendly match [qu’on a joué], we cannot fall lower. »

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This defeat, its first of the season, will not help the affairs of the Marseille club, which has been in troubled waters for a week, which was punctuated by the departure of its coach Marcelino. The Marseillais got their heads out of the water a little on Thursday, with a good result against Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League (3-3), and a little more on Friday when OM president Pablo Longoria announced that he remained in charge of the club. The Spanish leader was also present on Sunday at the Parc des Princes to see his team.

But this defeat completes a week during which OM seriously faltered after a disappointing draw at the Vélodrome against Toulouse (0-0) last Sunday, which led to a stormy meeting the next day between managers and supporters’ associations, who demanded their resignation.

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The World with AFP