Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) extended their dominance over arch-rivals Marseille with a resounding 3-0 victory at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday. The triumph propelled PSG to the summit of Ligue 1, three points clear of Monaco, who suffered their first defeat of the season.
The highly-anticipated Classique was effectively decided by halftime as PSG raced to a commanding three-goal lead. Marseille’s misery was compounded by the dismissal of Amine Harit for a reckless challenge on Marquinhos.
PSG’s Joao Neves opened the scoring early on, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error by Geronimo Rulli. The match took a decisive turn in the 20th minute when Harit was sent off, leaving Marseille with a numerical disadvantage.
Just nine minutes later, Leonardo Balerdi inadvertently doubled PSG’s lead with an own goal. Bradley Barcola then put the game beyond doubt with a clinical finish five minutes before the break.
Marseille, who had started the season strongly, endured a chastening night as their 12-match winless streak against PSG at home continued. Hundreds of their fans had already departed by halftime, expressing their frustration with the team’s lackluster performance.
“I’m disappointed,” said Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi. “We had prepared a match of courage and personality. But up until Harit was sent off, there was neither courage nor personality.”
Meanwhile, Monaco’s title hopes suffered a setback as they fell 2-1 to Nice in the Côte d’Azur derby. Breel Embolo gave Monaco the lead, but Nice rallied with goals from Evann Guessand and Gaetan Laborde. Monaco’s defeat, coupled with PSG’s victory, leaves them three points behind the league leaders.
“I’m not happy with the result,” said Monaco coach Adi Huetter. “When you lose a derby, everyone is disappointed. But we’re guilty because we had the game in our hands. And it came down to two stupid mistakes.”
In other Ligue 1 action, Lyon drew 2-2 with Auxerre, while Strasbourg climbed to the top half of the table with a 3-1 victory over Nantes. Toulouse also impressed with a 3-0 win at Montpellier.
