MARSEILLE, France: Marseille recovered from going behind in the first minute to rout Sporting Lisbon 4-1 Tuesday in the Champions League, thanks in part to visiting goalkeeper Antonio Adan making two costly errors before getting sent off.
After not scoring a goal in two opening losses in Group D, Marseille ended Sporting’s perfect record with goals from Alexis Sanchez, Amine Harit, Leonardo Balerdi and Chancel Mbemba.
Adan had a night to forget, as he gifted Sanchez the equalizing goal after dawdling on the ball, made another mistake for the second and then was handed a red card in the 23rd minute after handling the ball outside his area.
The kickoff was delayed by more than 20 minutes after the bus carrying the visiting team’s players was caught in traffic and arrived late at the Velodrome stadium. The delay had been set to 15 minutes by UEFA and as Marseille players waited in the tunnel, coach Igor Tudor looked furious and complained to match officials that their opponents were late to come out of the locker room.
But Sporting wasted no time once the game got started, needing less than 60 seconds to break the deadlock.
With Marseille defenders letting him move forward unopposed, Francisco Trincao went down the right flank and cut inside to fire a left-footed shot into the net.
Marseille needed a blunder from the Sporting goalkeeper to get back in the match in the 13th minute.
Under pressure from Sanchez, Adan kicked the ball straight at the Chile striker as he tried to clear, and it bounced back into the net.
Adan looked destabilized and was again at fault on Marseille’s next goal three minutes later after another poor kick landed at Matteo Guendouzi’s feet. The midfielder was quick to pass the ball to Jonathan Clauss, who crossed it for Harit to finish off the move with a fine header.
Adan then rushed out to clear a ball in the 23rd, only to mistime his run and handle outside the area. Forward Marcus Edwards came off to make way for goalkeeper Franco Israel, who made his Champions League debut.
Israel’s lack of experience was on display on Marseille’s next chance, when he misjudged a free kick from Harit and could not stop Leonardo Balerdi’s powerful header in the 28th.
Sporting could not recover and were repeatedly sanctioned four fouls as Marseille controlled the remainder of the match, with Mbemba adding luster to the win in the 85th minute from close range.
The game was played without fans following the crowd trouble during Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-0 win at Marseille last month.
Marseille beats 10-man Sporting after goalkeeper errors
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Marseille beats 10-man Sporting after goalkeeper errors
- Marseille ended Sporting's perfect record with goals from Alexis Sanchez, Amine Harit, Leonardo Balerdi and Chancel Mbemba
- Sporting wasted no time once the game got started, needing less than 60 seconds to break the deadlock
Al-Qadsiah hold Al-Hilal to 2-2 draw in thrilling SPL encounter
- Al-Hilal drop points for the second consecutive game as their lead at the summit is cut to three points
- Julian Quinones moves ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the scoring charts with his 17th goal of the campaign
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League title race is officially wide open after Al-Qadsiah held Al-Hilal to a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahad Stadium in Dammam. A late equaliser by Salem Al-Dawsari salvaged a point for the league leaders, after Koen Casteels had repeatedly denied him throughout the contest.
Al-Hilal began the match targeting what is usually one of Al-Qadsiah’s strong points. Mohammed Abou Al-Shamat has been a major threat down the right flank this season, but the space he left behind allowed Al-Dawsari to attack that channel early on.
By the eighth minute, Al-Hilal won a corner from that side, and Ruben Neves stunned Casteels with his delivery. The Portuguese midfielder aimed directly at goal, with the ball striking the post before ricocheting off the goalkeeper and into the net.
Al-Qadsiah responded immediately. Musab Al-Juwayr — facing his boyhood club — threaded an accurate pass behind Pablo Mari, who failed to deal with Nahitan Nandez, as the Uruguayan slotted home the equaliser.
The visitors looked to strike back swiftly once more, but this time Al-Qadsiah stood firm. Malcom squared Darwin Nunez for a shot on goal only for Jehad Thekri to block the effort, before Casteels followed up with a strong save to prevent Al-Dawsari on the next attack.
Tempers flared in the 20th minute when Mohammed Kanno and Nandez were both booked by the referee following a heated exchange on the touchline.
Despite playing away from home, it was Al-Hilal that took greater control of the game. Mateo Retegui and Julian Quinones struggled to impose themselves in first half, while Al-Dawsari continued to stretch Al-Qadsiah’s back line.
Early in the second half, Al-Hilal capitalised on their momentum. Al-Dawsari drove into the box only to be brought down for a penalty in the 50th minute. The captain stepped up himself, but Casteels once again came out on top with a save.
The Belgian goalkeeper remained defiant in the 72nd minute, denying a curling effort from Malcom after Theo Hernandez surged forward from deep to start the move.
Al-Qadsiah then swung the momentum in their favour. In the 77th minute, Al-Juwayr delivered a pinpoint corner that was powered home by Quinones, taking him to 17 league goals for the season.
Al-Hilal pressed relentlessly for an equaliser, and it arrived in dramatic fashion in the dying minutes of the game. Al-Dawsari finally got the better of Casteels, when he capitalised on a free-kick cleared his way from the edge of the box to send the away fans into a frenzy.
Stoppage time saw both sides go at it, with the clearest chance falling to Nandez, whose delicate chip over Yassine Bounou drifted inches wide in the 95th minute before the final whistle sounded.
Al-Qadsiah’s inability to claim all three points means the gap to Al-Hilal is reduced to six points rather than three. Al-Ahli, currently second, now sit just three points off the summit ahead of their clash with Al-Hilal on Monday in Riyadh.
Earlier in the evening, Al-Ittihad travelled to Al-Hasa for a thrilling encounter with Al-Fateh that ended in 2-2 draw. In the absence of Karim Benzema, Saleh Al-Shehri scored a brace only for Matias Vargas’ dagger to deny the visitors the three points.
Meanwhile, a hat-trick by Carlos Junior put Al-Shabab back on track after a 4-0 victory against Al-Hazem.
Action resumes on Friday to conclude Matchday 19, with Al-Taawoun hosting Al-Okhdood at 6:50pm, followed by NEOM vs. Damac and Al-Kholood vs. Al-Nassr at 8:30pm. Victory will be crucial for Al-Nassr, as three points would put them within touching distance of the league leaders.
