The scoreline, however, tells only part of the story. Strasbourg competed well at the Stade Vélodrome throughout the first half and went into the break at 0-0. Marseille only began to take firm control after raising the tempo following the restart, before a red card for the visitors shifted the balance decisively in the hosts’ favour.
Marseille strike immediately after the break
The first goal of the 2026/27 Ligue 1 season arrived only seconds after play resumed. Igor Paixão made progress down the left and found Angel Gomes, who picked out the unmarked Gouiri. The Algeria international met the ball first time and put Marseille 1-0 ahead in the 46th minute.
Until then, Strasbourg had held their own. Filip Jörgensen made several saves to keep the visitors level, while Marseille goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange was tested by an effort from Gessime Yassine. Genesio had wanted more cutting edge from his team in the final third before the break – and that was exactly what Marseille produced at the start of the second half.
Strasbourg then made their task considerably more difficult in the 59th minute. Samir El-Mourabet was shown a red card following a VAR intervention for a foul on Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Soon afterwards, Guéla Doué brought down the lively Paixão inside the penalty area. Gouiri converted the resulting spot kick in the 68th minute to complete his brace.
Marseille add two more late on
Marseille were in complete control with the numerical advantage. Genesio introduced fresh legs in the closing stages and was rewarded, with substitute Keyliane Abdallah scoring his first senior goal for OM in the 89th minute.
Højbjerg then completed the scoring in stoppage time. The Denmark international found the net with a long-range effort to make it 4-0 and round off an evening in which Marseille impressed particularly after half-time.
It was already the eighth occasion in Marseille’s Ligue 1 history that they had won their opening match of a season by at least four goals. No other club has managed the feat more than four times.
Genesio could therefore celebrate an ideal competitive debut. The 59-year-old took charge of Marseille this summer after two years with LOSC Lille and has been tasked with moving OM closer to the top of French football.
PSG strengthen as Marseille look to trim squad
The scale of that challenge becomes clear when looking at the summer transfer market. Paris Saint-Germain once again begin the season as clear favourites and have added further quality to an already formidable squad. Maghnes Akliouche arrived from Monaco for around €50 million, while World Cup winner Ferran Torres joined from FC Barcelona for a reported fee of roughly €50 million. PSG also signed Belgian winger Mika Godts from Ajax, with the deal potentially rising to €55 million including bonuses.
Marseille find themselves in a different position. Mason Greenwood, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gerónimo Rulli all left the club during the summer, while several loan deals also came to an end. No genuine summer signing featured against Strasbourg. Genesio explained after the game that OM first need to reduce their wage bill before further additions can be made. As many as five players could still leave Marseille before the transfer window closes.
Other challengers have also lost important players. Monaco saw Akliouche depart as well as Aladji Bamba, who joined Newcastle United, while RC Lens sold former SK Rapid midfielder Mamadou Sangaré to Brentford. On paper at least, the gap to PSG has hardly narrowed.
PSG begin their campaign in Rennes
The opening Ligue 1 round continues over the weekend. Lens host AJ Auxerre on Saturday, with Toulouse facing Olympique Lyon and OGC Nice taking on FC Lorient among the other fixtures. On Sunday, LOSC Lille travel to Angers, while Monaco visit Le Havre.
The round concludes on Sunday evening with Stade Rennes against Paris Saint-Germain. PSG were originally due to have home advantage at the Parc des Princes, but the fixture was moved to Rennes at short notice because the pitch in Paris was deemed unplayable. The defending champions will therefore begin their pursuit of another Ligue 1 title away from home.
