Marseille means business — Greenwood and Auba seem subscribed to goals

The only thing you can be sure of when watching a Roberto De Zerbi team is that it will never be boring. That was the case at Sassuolo, then at Brighton, and now in Marseille. And when you add the opposing fans into the mix—in this case, Nice’s—you get the full experience. Marseille managed to come away with a win in a match so charged with tension it could have filled an entire house. The home supporters did not welcome the Marseille players kindly, there was even a fight between the substitutes, but in the end, the chaos on the French Riviera belonged to the former European champions.

The atmosphere at the “Allianz Riviera” stadium was fiery, and the key moment of the match came in the 33rd minute. Firecrackers began flying from the stands toward the visiting players. One of them hit Marseille’s left-back Emerson, and immediately afterward a scuffle broke out on the pitch, with substitutes from both teams getting involved. It’s a miracle no one was shown a red card amid all this, but the match only grew more intense afterward — and Marseille ended up detonating a firecracker of their own in Nice’s net: 5–1.

Although they were leading 2–0 after half an hour through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Greenwood and had the match under control, Marseille still managed to get dragged into the chaos. The visitors refused to sit back, and Nice refused to give up. Chances began appearing by the minute. Nice missed two sitters through Terem Moffi, Dango Ouattara tried as well, but the ball simply wouldn’t go in. Somehow, after everything, Marseille still held a two-goal lead at halftime.

Once the chaos in the stands and on the pitch settled during the break, the visitors smelled blood and decided to finish the job. Within five minutes, De Zerbi’s team had silenced the stadium. First, Greenwood scored his second, and then Timothy Weah struck on the rebound to put Nice on the floor. Home manager Franck Haise could only throw in the towel, aware that any further reckless attacking would lead to a complete collapse.

De Zerbi’s side showed that no matter how chaotic they may look at times, they possess enough attacking firepower to score one or two goals against anyone. After all, when a 36-year-old Aubameyang can record a goal and an assist without breaking a sweat, the level of quality is clear. The only remaining question is how long they can keep pace with Paris Saint-Germain once the Parisians hit full stride.

FRANCE LIGUE 1 ROUND 13

Friday

Nice - Olympique Marseille 1-5 (0-2)

/Ali Cho 63 - Aubameyang 11, Greenwood 33, 53, Weah 58, Paixao 74/

Saturday

19.00: (2.10) Lens (3.65) Strasbourg (3.55)

21.00: (2.75) Rennes (3.75) Monaco (2.50)

23.05: (1.18) PSG (8.50) Le Havre (16.0)

Sunday

17.00: (3.80) Auxerre (3.45) Olympique Lyon (2.00)

19.15: (1.85) Brest (3.75) Metz (4.50)

19.15: (2.65) Nantes (3.15) Lorient (2.80)

19.15: (1.67) Toulouse (3.60) Angers (5.70)

22.45: (1.65) Lille (4.10) Paris (5.00)

***odds are subject to change***