Marseille vs. PSG: Score, Grades and Reaction from Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain turned around a half-time deficit to defeat Marseille 3-2 in a thrilling Le Classique on Sunday at the Stade Velodrome, maintaining their slim lead atop the Ligue 1 table. 

Andre-Pierre Gignac had put Marseille ahead 2-1 at the break with a brace, but PSG hit back with two goals in the first six minutes of the second half to claim the victory over their old rivals.

Blaise Matuidi netted a fine curler to briefly pull PSG level late in the first half, and the visitors equalised a second time through Marquinhos four minutes after the interval. The winner was an own goal off the foot of Marseille's Jeremy Morel in the 51st minute.

With the three points, PSG reclaimed their one-point lead atop the table following Lyon's victory over Guingamp on Saturday. The Parisiens are chasing a third straight Ligue 1 title, and Sunday's victory—over a bitter, title-chasing rival—will give Laurent Blanc's side plenty of confidence for the run-in.

And the win came at the onset of a critical period for the two-time defending champions, who play Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de France semi-final on Wednesday. One week later, PSG host Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

But the news was not all good. PSG lost centre-back David Luiz to a hamstring injury in the first half, with Eurosport's Valentina Clemente reporting (h/t B/R contributor Jonathan Johnson) that the Brazilian is set to undergo tests on Monday. Midfielder Thiago Motta also limped off in the closing stages.

Marseille, meanwhile, are now five points off PSG's pace but remain in third place and in line for Champions League qualification. Marcelo Bielsa's men play at Bordeaux next Sunday.

At kick-off, the tension was evident as both sides showed plenty of nerves. While the home supporters created an intense atmosphere, neither team was able to create an opening in the first 10 minutes.

The first real chance fell to PSG in the 11th minute, when Marco Verratti sliced open Marseille with a long, angled pass to Javier Pastore from inside his own half. Nearing the edge of the box with two defenders approaching, Pastore shot early, dragging the ball wide of the far post.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

PSG continued to enjoy the better of play for most of the opening half-hour, but in the 30th minute, Marseille took the lead. Dimitri Payet, who has been so productive as a goal-creator this season, served as the catalyst again, lofting a cross from the corner of the box on the right. At the far post, Gignac outmuscled Marquinhos and nodded in past Salvatore Sirigu for the opening goal.

Suddenly trailing by a goal despite holding the majority of possession, PSG encountered further bad news in the 34th minute, when Luiz left the match with a hamstring injury. Full-back Gregory van der Wiel came on as a substitute, with Marquinhos slotting in at centre-back.

The situation appeared grim for the visitors, but the equaliser arrived only moments later. Accepting a pass outside the box in the 35th minute, Matuidi took a pair of touches to his left before reversing course and curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Steve Mandanda managed to touch the ball on its way in, but the Marseille goalkeeper was unable to keep it out.

PSG were clearly buoyed, but Marseille reclaimed the lead two minutes before half-time. This time the chance resulted from an uncharacteristic mistake by Verratti, who put Thiago Motta under immense pressure with a poor pass in midfield.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

Sensing an opportunity, Jacques-Alaixys Romao nipped in to win possession before freeing Gignac with a quick pass into the space between the centre-backs. Holding his nerve impressively, Gignac raced in on goal and beat Sirigu with a low shot to make it 2-1.

Gignac nearly completed his hat-trick before the break, but Sirigu tipped over the French striker's header from a Payet cross in stoppage time.

Marseille had to be proud of their fine first-half performance, but within seven minutes of the restart, the hosts found themselves behind.

PSG drew level in the 49th minute thanks in part to a bit of good fortune. Zlatan Ibrahimovic slipped as he took a free-kick, hitting a low drive into the box off Edinson Cavani. The ball bounced fortuitously to an unmarked Marquinhos, who slammed his shot into the roof of the net.

Two minutes later, the visitors went ahead for the first time. Pastore raced free down the left, with Marseille leaving loads of space on their flank. The Argentine mishit a scuffed cross into the middle, but with Ibrahimovic lurking, Morel put into his own net to give PSG a 3-2 lead.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

Gignac created a moment of danger in the 59th minute, chesting down a high pass into the box to set himself up for a shot. But the finish did not match the setup, with the ball sailing well over the bar. Two minutes later at the other end, Mandanda kicked away Matuidi's low shot from a tight angle on the left.

PSG had a good chance to increase their lead in the 66th minute when Verratti picked out Pastore with a pass to the left flank. After cutting inside onto his right foot, Pastore dragged his shot wide of the near post.

Mandanda made a kick-save in the 72nd to keep out Ezequiel Lavezzi's low shot after PSG broke forward quickly on the counter. 

Marseille had a sight of goal in the 81st minute as Payet tried his luck with a curled effort, which Sirigu saved easily. Ibrahimovic then shot into the side netting after another PSG counter in the 83rd minute, and Mandanda saved another Ibrahimovic drive moments later. 

The hosts had one more chance to equalise, but substitute Lucas Ocampos curled over the bar in stoppage time. After five minutes of added time, PSG ran out 3-2 winners in what was a thoroughly entertaining Classique.

Grades

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Steve Mandanda	8
Jacques-Alaixys Romao	7
Rod Fanni	7
Jeremy Morel	5
Mario Lemina	6
Brice Dja Djedje	7
Dimitri Payet	7
Benjamin Mendy	6
Florian Thauvin	5
Andre-Pierre Gignac	9
Andre Ayew	6
Lucas Ocampos (for Thauvin, 63')	6
Michy Batshuayi (for Gignac, 71')	No rating
Romain Alessandri (for Ayew, 72')	No rating

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Salvatore Sirigu	5
Marquinhos	7
Thiago Silva	7
David Luiz	6
Maxwell	6
Marco Verratti	6.5
Thiago Motta	6.5
Blaise Matuidi	9
Javier Pastore	6
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	6
Edinson Cavani	5
Gregory van der Wiel (for Luiz, 34')	7
Ezequiel Lavezzi (for Cavani, 59')	6
Adrien Rabiot (for Pastore, 82')	No rating

Reaction

Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa, via Associated Press (h/t USA Today):

"

It's a fair result. It was a match of opposing styles and PSG came out on top. It was nothing to do with luck or anything else, that's why we have no excuses.

…

The key to the game was that we were never comfortable. I knew that PSG would dominate play with its passing and our tactics didn't work.

"

PSG coach Laurent Blanc, via PSG.fr:

"

It's always important to win away from home, especially with seven games left in the season against a direct rival. Plus, it was Marseille and we all know what that means. We are very happy to have won, to have controlled the game, especially in the second half, and to have shown our technical superiority. It allowed us to get back in the game and we could have even have had more goals. It was a very open match, a great game to watch. The only negative point of the evening was the injuries to two of our players, because we are entering a period with a lot of matches.

"

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