Recap: Marseille see red as PSG take Le Classique

After an earlier loss in the day by AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain opened up a three-point lead atop the Ligue 1 McDonald's table by beating rivals Olympique de Marseille, 3-0 on Sunday night in a match that featured an early red card for Amine Harit. 

Dominant from the off

In a boiling Stade Vélodrôme, it was the visitors who took the game by the scruff of the neck from the off, shaking off the hostile atmosphere from the first kick of the match. Ousmane Dembélé had the first chance of the match with just over three minutes gone, forcing a low save from Geronimo Rulli, and while the Argentine kept out the French international at that point, there was little he could do four minutes later as he spilled a low cross from Bradley Barcola to the feet of João Neves, the Portugal international sweeping home from close range.

Despite having pushed for an equalizer, things would go from bad to worse for the hosts on 20 minutes, as Harit was sent off for a high boot on Marquinhos in midfield. With a man advantage, it didn't take Luis Enrique's side long to double their lead, although they knew little about it, with a poor bit of control from Leonardo Balerdi leaving Rulli stranded.

Big PSG performance in Le Classique 🔥🔝 pic.twitter.com/ZPIju7w7ts

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 27, 2024

From there, PSG would keep their foot on the proverbial pedal, and after a low shot by Dembélé was spilled by Rulli, Barcola pounced in a central position, scoring his league-leading eighth goal of the season just before the break to make it 3-0. In the second half, PSG emptied their bench, but would ease to a victory by that same score, as the intensity of the match dropped somewhat.

Speaking post-match, Enrique was quick to praise his side for recording such a decisive result away from home, saying, "winning a Classique on the road with this level of authority is very important. We started very well against an opponent who pressed us from the start, and then we scored this first goal. The sending-off changed the match, it became harder for the opponent, but my team continued to work, to develop its play."

As for his opposite number, Roberto de Zerbi, he expressed his frustrations with the officiating, but also laid the blame at the feet of his players, saying, "We lacked courage, personality, especially when we had prepared for this kind of match, even before the sending off of Harit. It's a problem, you can lose, but when you wear the OM jersey, you can't play without character."

PSG are next in action against Lens on Saturday, while Marseille, who remained third, will attempt to re-insert themselves into the title race with a trip to the Stade Beaujoire to face FC Nantes on Sunday evening.

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