PARIS: Marseille suffered a late collapse and blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Paris FC in Ligue 1 on Saturday with the pain still fresh from their excruciating Champions League exit.
Mason Greenwood converted a first-half penalty for his league-best 13th goal of the season and set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to double Marseille’s lead early in the second half.
However, three days after crashing out of Europe in improbable fashion, Marseille came unstuck again as Jonathan Ikone’s header brought Paris FC back into the game and Ilan Kebbal levelled with an injury-time spot-kick.
Marseille lost 3-0 at Club Brugge on Wednesday but it took a last-gasp header from Benfica’s goalkeeper in a win over Real Madrid to knock Roberto De Zerbi’s side out of the competition.
De Zerbi dismissed reports that he was stepping down in the wake of the defeat in Belgium after he missed a training session the next day.
The Italian said he had held talks with club officials to find the best way to move on from the Champions League disappointment, but the nature of Marseille’s latest setback will only add to the unease at the Velodrome.
Lens moved back above Paris Saint-Germain into top spot on Friday after a Ruben Aguilar goal secured a 1-0 win at home to struggling Le Havre.
Luis Enrique’s team will be able to reclaim first place by avoiding defeat away to Strasbourg on Sunday.
Marseille buckle as Paris FC battle back for draw
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Marseille buckle as Paris FC battle back for draw
- Mason Greenwood converted a first-half penalty for his league-best 13th goal of the season
- De Zerbi dismissed reports that he was stepping down
Nunez double seals win as Al-Hilal finish AFC Champions League Elite group stage atop the table
- Reigning champions Al-Ahli take second spot in the West Region rankings with dramatic 4-3 win over Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli
- The other Saudi contenders, Al-Ittihad, wrap up the group stage with a visit to Al-Sadd of Qatar on Tuesday, having already guaranteed qualification for the Round of 16
DUBAI: Al-Hilal concluded the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite with a 2-1 home win over Al-Wahda of Abu Dhabi on Monday.
The Riyadh side finished top of the 12-team West Region table on 22 points from eight games, five clear of their closest challengers, Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Ahli. Both clubs progress to the Round of 16, which will played over two legs early next month.
Darwin Nunez gave the home team the lead after 19 minutes with a firm header from a Reuben Neves cross, but Brahim Diarra’s equalizer on 32 minutes meant the teams went into the break on level terms.
Al-Hilal were already guaranteed top place in the group regardless of the result but coach Simone Inzaghi signaled a desire to conclude the group stage in style with a victory as he made four substitutions in a second half during which for long spells his team struggled to break down the visitors from the UAE.
The winner finally came after 77 minutes when Nunez converted substitute Sultan Mandash’s low cross from close range to claim his second of the night.
Earlier, reigning champions Al-Ahli claimed a dramatic 4-3 home win over Emirati club Shabab Al-Ahli to all-but ensure second place in the group table.
The Jeddah side seemed to be coasting to a comfortable victory as they built a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to a Feras Al-Buraikan strike after 12 minutes, a Bogdan Planic own goal in the 35th, and a goal from Enzo Millot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Things got even better when Saleh Abu Al-Shamat added fourth from the penalty spot after 52 minutes.
That seemed to be that, but the visitors had other ideas and launched a most unlikely comeback courtesy of two strikes from Breno Cascardo, in the 66th and 78th minutes, and a stoppage-time goal by Mohammed Juma that tested the nerves of Al-Ahli’s fans in the closing moments of the match.
The visitors had barely any time to chase an equalizer, however, and the home team held on.
The Kingdom’s third representatives in the competition, reigning SPL champions Al-Ittihad, wrap up their group stage campaign with a visit to Al-Sadd of Qatar on Tuesday.
The Jeddah side are sitting in fifth place in the table on 12 points from seven matches, and cannot finish any lower than that but could end up as high as third place, depending on results tomorrow. The top eight teams qualify for the Round of 16, in which they will be joined by the top eight finishers from the East Region.
