The final scoreline was much tighter than the balance of chances suggested. PSG were particularly dominant after the break but wasted a series of good opportunities. Marseille stayed in the contest thanks to disciplined defending and an outstanding performance from Jeffrey De Lange, although Timothy Weah’s late dismissal left the hosts with ten men.
Ferran starts on the bench
Luis Enrique initially went with Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in attack. Ferran Torres, who had been in excellent form, surprisingly started among the substitutes. Warren Zaïre-Emery moved to right-back in the absence of the injured Achraf Hakimi, with Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz forming the midfield.
Marseille coach Bruno Genesio handed Neal Maupay his first Ligue 1 start of the season. Amine Gouiri, Amine Harit and Igor Paixão completed an attacking line-up for the hosts, while Angel Gomes began on the bench.
Marseille started with plenty of energy and looked to disrupt PSG’s rhythm through intensity and aggressive pressing. After a lively opening spell, however, Paris gradually began to take control.
De Lange keeps Marseille alive
The French champions saw more of the ball and increasingly pushed Marseille deeper. The hosts remained compact, though, especially through the middle. PSG were able to circulate possession for long spells in the opposition half but initially struggled to break through the final line cleanly.
The first major chance came after ten minutes down the left. Nuno Mendes got into the box and beat De Lange from a tight angle, only for CJ Egan-Riley to clear off the line. Soon afterwards, Dembélé tried to lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper but sent his effort narrowly over.
Marseille still posed a threat on quick transitions, but suffered a setback around the half-hour mark when Paixão was forced off through injury and replaced by Angel Gomes.
PSG’s pressure increased towards the interval. Dembélé missed another good headed opportunity from a Doué delivery shortly before half-time. The visitors had already registered 12 shots to Marseille’s three by the break, but poor finishing and disciplined defending from OM kept the game scoreless.
Ferran makes an instant impact
PSG raised the tempo significantly after the restart. Doué and Kvaratskhelia both had early efforts, while João Neves headed over from close range. Marseille were being pushed further back, although they still carried some threat on the counter.
In the 59th minute, Luis Enrique introduced Ferran for Kvaratskhelia – and the change paid off almost immediately. Seven minutes later, Doué beat his man on the left and crossed towards the near post. Ferran read the space early, escaped his marker and headed PSG into a 1-0 lead.
The Spaniard once again underlined his strong form. He almost added a second moments later, only for De Lange to produce an excellent save from his accurate finish.
Marquinhos responds to Gomes
Just as PSG appeared to be closing in on a second goal, Marseille struck back. Gouiri initiated a quick central break in the 72nd minute. Angel Gomes drove forward, got the better of Willian Pacho inside the area and calmly finished to make it 1-1.
The Vélodrome had barely finished celebrating when PSG restored their advantage. Following a corner, Paris kept the attack alive and Nuno Mendes sent the ball back into the box. Marquinhos reacted quickest in the middle. De Lange saved the first effort, but the PSG captain converted the rebound.
It was already Marquinhos’ third league goal of the season, a remarkable return for a centre-back and another indication of how dangerous PSG can be from set-pieces and second balls.
Weah leaves Marseille short-handed
Marseille’s task became even more difficult in the 77th minute. Weah, already booked before the break, clearly held back Nuno Mendes and was shown a second yellow card.
With a numerical advantage, PSG largely controlled the closing stages. The fact that the visitors did not extend their lead was mainly down to De Lange. The Marseille goalkeeper made eight saves, six of them from shots inside the penalty area, and repeatedly kept his side in contention.
The overall figures underline how close Marseille remained to a point despite the imbalance in chances. PSG finished with 31 shots to Marseille’s 12, put ten on target and recorded 50 touches inside the opposition box, compared with Marseille’s 27. Vitinha was central to PSG’s control with more than 100 passes at a completion rate above 90 per cent, while Doué created five chances and was one of the visitors’ most influential attacking players.
The xG numbers of 4.43 to 1.29 in PSG’s favour tell a clear story: Paris should have put the game to bed much earlier. Given both the quantity and quality of PSG’s chances, Marseille were fortunate to remain within one goal until the closing stages.
PSG beginning to find their rhythm
For PSG, the derby victory is particularly important after a poor opening to the league season. Draws against Rennes and Lille, a home defeat to Monaco and a narrow 1-0 win in Brest had left the champions with only five points from their first four matches. A second league win lifts Paris to eight points and sixth place, although they remain five behind leaders Monaco.
The performance in Marseille nevertheless offered several positive signs. PSG controlled central areas for long spells, increased the tempo after half-time and increasingly found solutions through the wings and half-spaces against a compact defence. Finishing remains an issue, however, as does their protection after turnovers – Marseille’s equaliser came at a time when Paris appeared to have the match firmly under control.
For Marseille, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult. Four defeats from their opening five league matches leave them 17th with just three points. That the game remained alive so late was largely down to De Lange and a disciplined defensive effort. After the international break, Genesio’s side travel to Troyes on October 11. PSG host Le Mans a day earlier before travelling to Manchester City in the Champions League four days later.
