Marseille Crashes at Auxerre, Lille Climbs into Podium Contention
Auxerre, France – Marseille’s three-match winning streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday, February 22, with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to struggling Auxerre in the 23rd round of Ligue 1. The loss allowed Lille to surge into podium contention, closing a five-point gap on Marseille while extending Monaco’s poor form with a 2-1 victory.
Marseille, who had looked impressive in their recent outings, were abysmal in both attack and defense. Their attacking efforts were largely ineffective, while their defense looked shaky as ever. The defeat leaves Marseille 10 points adrift of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who face Lyon in the day’s marquee matchup on Sunday evening.
Auxerre, who had not won in their previous 10 league matches, secured their second victory over Marseille this season, having triumphed 3-1 at the Vélodrome in November. Gaëtan Perrin, who had also scored in the reverse fixture, and Brazilian captain Jubal scored the goals for Auxerre, converting a penalty and heading home respectively to punish Marseille’s defensive lapses.
Lille’s surge towards the podium places pressure on Marseille, who could see Nice (currently fourth) close the gap to just three points with a win over bottom-of-the-table Montpellier on Sunday afternoon.
Monaco, on the other hand, remain adrift of Marseille, sitting six points behind. After being eliminated from the Champions League by Benfica (0-1/3-3) on Tuesday due to defensive errors, Monaco suffered another setback, with their backline once again proving vulnerable. Lille’s Hakon Haraldsson capitalized on Monaco’s defensive woes, scoring a brace for the visitors.
Lille, who had already secured their place in the Champions League round of 16, have bounced back strongly from their early-month setbacks in the Coupe de France (eliminated by Dunkerque) and Ligue 1 (lost at home to Le Havre). Bruno Genesio’s side now have two consecutive league wins under their belt, ahead of two crucial upcoming fixtures: a clash with PSG at the Parc des Princes next week and their Champions League round of 16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund on March 4.
At the other end of the table, Saint-Etienne dropped two valuable points in their pursuit of survival, drawing 3-3 with Angers in the dying moments of their match. Les Verts looked to have taken a crucial step towards safety by recovering from a 2-0 deficit to lead 3-2, thanks in part to a brace from their former player Irvin Cardona, who rejoined the club in the winter transfer window. However, SCO, inspired by Youcef Belaïli’s own brace, equalized in the final seconds through a penalty won by the Algerian forward and converted by Bamba Dieng.
Controversial Officiating
Marseille strongly contested the officiating of Jérémy Stinat during their defeat in Auxerre, with sporting advisor Fabrizio Ravanelli branding it "scandalous."
"All of France saw it, [referee Jérémy] Stinat did whatever he wanted, it was scandalous refereeing," Ravanelli told DAZN.
Marseille’s main complaint was the dismissal of Derek Cornelius for a second yellow card. "He gave a red for an unacceptable second yellow, he got the ball," Ravanelli bemoaned. Marseille president Pablo Longoria angrily exclaimed, "It’s real corruption!" as he passed by journalists in the corridors of the Abbé-Deschamps stadium.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi also believed that "the penalty on Quentin Merlin was clear," but video replays confirmed the referee’s decision to wave play on. "We no longer accept this situation, we demand respect and fair refereeing," Ravanelli added.
Before the match, Marseille had publicly expressed regret that Stinat was assigned to the fixture. He was the fourth official in the Coupe de France match against Lille that resulted in Marseille’s director of football, Medhi Benatia, receiving a three-month suspension.
