Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi celebrates after scoring a goal against Lorient at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille October 17, 2021. — AFP pic
PARIS, Oct 18 — Matteo Guendouzi scored once and created two more goals as Marseille came from behind to defeat Lorient 4-1 on Sunday and earn their first Ligue 1 victory in four matches.
Marseille supporters paid a series of tributes to controversial former president Bernard Tapie in the first game at the Velodrome since his death.
Tapie died from stomach cancer aged 78 on October 3. He was the charismatic driving force behind Marseille’s 1993 Champions League triumph.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side had lost their past two league games and fell behind early when Armand Lauriente converted from the penalty spot after Stephane Diarra was fouled by Brazilian defender Luan Peres.
Boubacar Kamara’s deflected strike from a Guendouzi cutback pulled Marseille level on 27 minutes.
Arsenal loanee Guendouzi headed in a corner from the excellent Dimitri Payet to give the hosts the lead before the hour, with Payet then playing in Arkadiusz Milik to net his first goal since returning from a long-term knee injury.
Marseille sealed the win in stoppage time when Guendouzi’s shot was turned in by Lorient defender Houboulang Mendes.
High-flying Ligue 1 side Nice were undone by a well-worked early goal as they lost 1-0 at Troyes earlier in the day, surrendering third place to Marseille.
Nice went into the game with five wins in eight matches this season, but struggling Troyes scored the only goal after just four minutes.
Renaud Ripart’s intelligent backheel allowed Giulian Biancone to cross from the right wing and Mama Balde hammered the ball home.
Nice were unable to get a foothold in a frustrating match for the club owned by chemical giants Ineos.
Former France defender Adil Rami, part of the squad that won the 2018 World Cup, made his Troyes debut as a first-half substitute.
“The start of the match was catastrophic and the whole match was catastrophic,” Nice coach Christophe Galtier said.
English forward Stephy Mavididi scored his third goal of the season as Montpellier defeated second-placed Lens 1-0.
Lens lost for just the second time this season, leaving Paris Saint-Germain nine points clear at the top. — AFP