AS Saint-Etienne 0-2 Olympique de Marseille: Greenwood on target as Marseille reclaim second spot with victory at St Etienne
Marseille's 2-0 victory over the struggling Saint-Etienne propelled them back into second place in Ligue 1, further solidifying their position as the team with the best away record in this season's top five European domestic leagues (W7, L1).
The visitors dominated possession during the first half; however, it was their relegation-threatened rivals who registered the first shot on target, with Zuriko Davitashvili's low attempt being expertly saved by Geronimo Rulli.
At the opposite end, Mason Greenwood's weak shot directed straight at Gautier Larsonneur proved to be an anticlimactic moment. Nevertheless, the Olympians found the net in the 17th minute when Valentin Rongier set up Neal Maupay.
The former Everton player delivered a beautifully lofted reverse pass to Adrien Rabiot, who executed a composed chest trap before striking the ball on the volley.
Initially, the goal was disallowed for offside against the former Juventus midfielder, but VAR intervened to overturn the decision.
Shortly after his goal, Rabiot nearly doubled Marseille's lead but failed to connect cleanly with Luis Henrique's driven cross. Maupay then had an opportunity to score when he was played through by the composed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but he was skillfully tackled by Yunis Abdelhamid. Larsonneur also made crucial saves against Quentin Merlin and Greenwood.
Roberto De Zerbi likely entered the halftime break in a more favorable mood than his counterpart, yet he must have felt that his team should have been ahead by a greater margin.
Whatever was discussed in the locker rooms, Marseille maintained their dominance after the break. Although Maupay was unable to convert Henrique's low cross, Greenwood was fouled in the box shortly after the hour mark by Leo Petrot, prompting referee Jerome Brisard to award a penalty.
The Englishman witnessed his initial attempt superbly saved by Larsonneur; however, he maintained his composure to slot in the rebound, marking his 10th league goal of the season.
De Zerbi’s counterpart, Olivier Dall’Oglio, subsequently made a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Ibrahim Sissoko, who was the top scorer for Saint-Etienne last season.
Nevertheless, these changes did not yield any significant effect. In fact, the only noteworthy moment for the hosts came from their supporters, as smoke from pyrotechnics ignited in the stands led to a brief interruption towards the conclusion of the match.
Les Verts now find themselves in the relegation zone following a disappointing run of results over the weekend. In contrast, Marseille is now only five points behind the leaders, Paris Saint-Germain, and has the opportunity to narrow the gap further when they face Lille at home next Saturday.
SportsLigue