Gennaro Gattuso’s Olympique de Marseille continued their winning streak with a remarkable 4-2 victory over Régis Le Bris’ Lorient at the Stade du Moustoir. This win marks their fourth consecutive triumph in all competitions.
Marseille wasted no time in carrying forward the momentum from their recent triumph over Olympique Lyonnais. Chancel Mbemba, making his way up from the back, found the back of the net within three minutes to break the deadlock with a clinical finish.
Just six minutes later, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brilliantly guided Mbemba’s enticing delivery past Yvon Mvogo, securing a second goal for Marseille. Despite possessing 15 fewer points than at this stage last season, Lorient, who began the game in the relegation play-off position, had opportunities to reduce the deficit.
Benjamin Mendy fired a rebound wide of the mark, followed by an excellent save by Pau López to deny Bamba Dieng’s one-on-one effort. Aubameyang, already on the scoresheet, came close to doubling his tally but was thwarted by Mvogo’s acrobatic save.
However, Marseille extended their lead in the 33rd minute as Leonardo Balerdi headed home Jonathan Clauss’ inswinging corner. Romain Faivre gave Lorient a glimmer of hope with a goal, but Aubameyang swiftly restored Marseille’s three-goal lead with a stunning finish from Jordan Veretout’s precise pass.
The first half ended with a total of six goals, leaving Merlus fans thrilled. The excitement continued in the second half when Benjamin Mendy fired home on the rebound, bringing the score to 4-2. Lorient had a chance to reduce the deficit further, but Montassar Talbi’s header was brilliantly saved by Marseille’s goalkeeper.
In an unexpected turn of events, Marseille concluded the match with 10 men after Clauss received a straight red card in the 80th minute. Despite this setback, the comprehensive victory ended Marseille’s seven-match winless streak away from home in the current Ligue 1 campaign.
With this win, Olympique de Marseille now occupies the final European qualification position. Meanwhile, Lorient remains in the relegation play-off position after only managing one win in their last 12 matches.