Marseille Snatch Dramatic Derby Win Over Lyon Despite Red Card
Marseille’s resilience shone through as they snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Lyon in a pulsating ‘Olympico’ derby on Sunday. Despite being reduced to 10 men early on, Roberto De Zerbi’s side rallied to secure a crucial win that propelled them to second place in Ligue 1.
The match erupted into chaos from the outset, with Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi receiving a red card within five minutes for a reckless challenge. Lyon capitalized on their numerical advantage, with former Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car heading them into the lead. However, Marseille refused to be deterred. Pol Lirola equalized in the 69th minute, and Ulisses Garcia gave them the lead with just eight minutes remaining.
Lyon appeared to have salvaged a point when Rayan Cherki scored in the third minute of added time. But Marseille had the final say. Jonathan Rowe, who had come on as a substitute, drove forward from the left wing, beat two defenders, and unleashed a thunderous shot that flew past Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
The victory was a testament to Marseille’s character and determination. Despite being a man down, they never gave up and fought back valiantly. De Zerbi praised his team’s spirit, saying, “We dedicate this victory to Balerdi. He made a mistake, but we don’t abandon him.”
Meanwhile, Monaco maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Le Havre. Jordan Teze gave Monaco an early lead, but Daler Kuzyaev equalized for Le Havre. Eliesse Ben Seghir and Folarin Balogun scored in quick succession in the second half to secure the win for Monaco.