Match Reports
OM, LOSC share the Sunday spoils
In the big match of the round, LOSC Lille welcomed Olympique de Marseille to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. In a game crucial for both sides' Champions League ambitions, the two played to an exciting one-all draw, with a pair of in-form attackers -- Amine Gouiri and Matiás Fernandez-Pardo -- each scoring to leave the race for the top four on a razor's edge.
A nervy first half
With Monaco, Nice and Strasbourg all having won earlier in the weekend, the pressure for these two sides to get a result was well and truly on -- either would have finished the weekend in second place with a victory, while a loss would have made their path to Europe's marquee competition (at least directly) quite a bit more difficult. While Marseille had a relatively clean bill of health, having recently welcomed back Pierre-Emile Højberg and captain Leonardo Balerdi, Lille would be without long-term absentees Edon Zhegrova and Tiago Santos, as well as the suspended Bafodé Diakité.
Tactically, Marseille (knowing that a point was a better result for them than the hosts) played a more conservative 4-3-3, Roberto de Zerbi abandoning his customary 3-4-1-2 to use Adrien Rabiot in a deeper role. From the off, the visitors' approach looked to be working like a charm -- Rabiot was bossing the game, and Marseille were dominating the ball, with Lucas Chevalier making a pair of saves from Højberg and Amir Murillo. As it was, though, the match was level at the break, with Marseille's attacking impetus unable to break Les Dogues' resistance.
De Zerbi ball 🇮🇹🧠 pic.twitter.com/YMIds7858k
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 4, 2025
A brilliant strike and then some
In the second half, de Zerbi moved to make changes to bring the match to life, replacing Ismaël Bennacer with Valentin Rongier in a move that quickly paid dividends. With Rabiot freed to have more of an attacking presence, he burst forward and slipped in Gouiri for the game's opening goal. Given Marseille's dominance to that point in time, it looked like it could even be a decisive strike, but things would change quickly.
With just under 20 minutes to play, Marseille 'keeper Geronimo Rulli spilled the ball, and Lille's live-wire winger Fernandez-Pardo was there to capitalize, leveling the score. Neither side would have a chance to speak of from that point, and the match would end in a one-all draw. The result leaves Marseille in second, a point ahead of AS Monaco and two ahead of their opponents (who moved into fifth), Nice and Strasbourg -- all on 57 points.
With two rounds left, it's thus all to play for in Ligue 1. Marseille will next host Stade Rennais, while Lille will square off against a Reims side who need a result to confirm their safety.
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