Paris Saint-Germain took a strong lead in the French league on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 victory against Marseille, which struggled in its first major challenge of the season after facing a red card and an own goal in the first half.
A win for Marseille would have put them on equal points with the defending champions, but instead, they fell six points behind the unbeaten PSG and remained three points behind Monaco, who are in second place. The way they lost will likely frustrate Marseille’s very demanding fans.
Some supporters began leaving Stade Velodrome before halftime, and the players were booed off the field afterward. The team made careless mistakes, and there was a clear lack of leadership on the field.
Marseille did not qualify for any European competitions this season, so their players were fresh, while coach Roberto De Zerbi had a complete squad available.
Former PSG player Adrien Rabiot started in midfield for Marseille, but the visitors were much sharper and took the lead in the seventh minute when midfielder João Neves scored after a low cross from left back Nuno Mendes.
Things went from bad to worse for Marseille when midfielder Amine Harit received a straight red card in the 20th minute for a high challenge on PSG captain Marquinhos.
Even though TV replays showed that Harit did not raise his leg higher than Marquinhos’s midsection, the referee’s decision stood. Harit angrily argued with an official as he left the field.
A terrible own goal by central defender Leonardo Balerdi gave PSG a goal in the 29th minute. A cross came into the box with no PSG player around, but Balerdi kicked the ball into his own net, leaving his goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli stranded.
Balerdi was also slow to react on the third goal when he didn’t close down winger Bradley Barcola, who scored after Ousmane Dembélé’s shot was saved and the ball came back into the area.
In the second half, PSG controlled the game but didn’t seem eager to score again, which might frustrate coach Luis Enrique given his team’s scoring issues in the Champions League.
Monaco also faced problems earlier when Vanderson was sent off in a 2-1 loss at Nice.
Monaco took the lead when Switzerland striker Breel Embolo scored in the 39th minute, connecting with a defense-splitting pass from Maghnes Akliouche for his second goal in six days.
After Evann Guessand equalized with a great downward header in first-half stoppage time, Vanderson received a second yellow card shortly after for an altercation with forward Mohamed-Ali Cho.
A bad backpass from Krépin Diatta allowed Nice to score their second goal, as striker Gaëtan Laborde intercepted it and neatly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper in the 71st minute.
“(The) red card dropped us in it a bit,” Akliouche told beIN Sports television. “Then we made an error for their second goal. It’s a pity.”
