---

September 1, 2024

De Zerbi’s Marseille Move To The Top Of Ligue 1 With An Impressive Victory Against Toulouse – Brazilian Serie A

Mason Greenwood (22) continued his stunning start to life at Marseille, as his first-half brace paved the way for a comprehensive 3-1 victory at ten-man Toulouse. This means the striker has netted five times in just three appearances since joining Manchester United this summer.

The hosts started on the front foot but saw numerous attacks break down due to a poor final ball.

Indeed, their best opening came when a clearance from a visiting defender clattered into Rasmus Nicolaisen and ricocheted wide.

That wastefulness left the door open for the Phocaeans to seize the momentum, which they duly did when Greenwood unleashed a vicious shot from a near-impossible angle on the left of the area but somehow found the far corner.

Moments later, the striker doubled his tally for the night by making it 2-0, as he was picked out by Luis Henrique inside the box and found the back of the net with a strike that Guillaume Restes may feel he should have saved.

There was worse to come before the break for Le Tefece, who were reduced to ten men after Frank Magri’s high and late tackle on Geoffrey Kondogbia resulted in a straight red card.

Toulouse was never likely to come back from there. The game was well and truly over shortly after halftime when Roberto De Zerbi’s side bagged a third when they rounded off a clinical counterattack as Amine Harit stabbed through to Henrique, whose strike clipped Charlie Cresswell and curled into the far corner.

Greenwood then came close to completing his hat trick, although he somehow lifted miles over the bar after being picked out at the back post.

It was plain sailing for Marseille, which remained unbeaten under De Zerbi and is now unbeaten in 21 Ligue 1 head-to-head, a run dating back to March 2012.

Toulouse pulled one back at least when Shavy Babicka beat the goalkeeper to a long ball and prodded into the empty net.

However, they have gone winless across their opening three league fixtures for the first time in 11 years.

Lens came back late on to spoil Monaco’s perfect start in Ligue 1

Przemyslaw Frankowski (29) scored a late penalty to earn RC Lens a point in an entertaining 1-1 draw. Both them and AS Monaco ended their 100% starts to the Ligue 1 season.

The game started end-to-end, with both outfits looking to extend their perfect start to the season, but early chances were at a premium.

Takumi Minamino was the first to threaten with a speculative effort that bounced wide. At the same time, Lens looked dangerous in the future but lacked quality in the final third.

The visitor’s lack of potency was summed up at the half-hour mark with an astonishing sequence. Adrien Thomasson found space in the box, and his angled drive cannoned off the post and back towards him, allowing the midfielder to pick out Wesley Said unmarked in the six-yard area. Still, somehow, the winger diverted the ball against the woodwork once more before it bounced to safety.

Lens started the second half with more energy and had a huge claim for a penalty when the ball struck the arm of Christian Mawissa, but the referee waved play on.

The hosts then saw the goal clearly as Maghnes Akliouche found himself in space with a central position. Still, he took too long to pull the trigger, allowing Jhoanner Chavez to hustle across the box to make the block.

With 20 minutes to go, the visitors had another chance to take the lead as Florian Sotoca raced clear on goal. However, Philipp Kohn denied the veteran striker from a  tight angle.

Going into the final minutes, Will Still’s side pushed hardest for the winner, and they thought they had found the breakthrough in the 79th minute, only for a VAR review to show Remy Labeau Lascary handling the ball in the build-up.

That moment appeared pivotal when Monaco immediately went up the other end. It looked like they had won the game when Denis Zakaria thundered home Caio Henrique’s corner with a bullet header.

The visitors never gave up, however, and this time, a VAR intervention went their way. A stoppage-time penalty was awarded, and Frankowski kept his cool to find the net and earn his side a point.

The draw leaves both sides sitting on seven points after winning their opening two games of the Ligue 1 season before this. Still, they’ll need more consistency in the final third to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title.

Show your favorite team some love! Visit our site to let them know you’re cheering them on.

Football News Today | La Liga 2 | Saudi Pro League | Major League Soccer | J League | EFL Championship | Brazilian Serie A