Marseille’s French midfielder Dimitri Payet reacts at the end of the Ligue 1 match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and Montpellier at the Velodrome on 31 March 2023. (Photo by Nicolas Tucat/AFP)
Marseille missed the chance to pressure Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint‑Germain, being held to a 1‑1 home draw by Montpellier on Friday. Igor Tudor’s side, sitting second, could have reduced PSG’s lead to four points with a win before the defending champions’ Sunday clash with Lyon. Instead, Marseille dropped points for the third time in five league outings and risk being overtaken by third‑placed Lens when they travel to Rennes on Saturday.
“Today we weren’t good enough to win,” Tudor admitted. “The international break has cost us dearly. There were too many mentally and physically tired players. We only had one training session together, so I knew it would be tough.”
Arnaud Nordin finished a quick counter‑attack to give mid‑table Montpellier a 12th‑minute lead after a brilliant burst from Wahbi Khazri. Marseille equalised shortly before halftime when Matteo Guendouzi converted a penalty awarded for handball. In the second half, Marseille created few chances, and Khazri came close to a winner for Montpellier before being denied by home goalkeeper Ruben Blanco. Although Marseille dominated possession late on, they could not find a decisive goal that might have revived hopes of a first league title since 2010, especially after PSG’s shock home loss to Rennes before the international break.
Comments are closed for this story.