SC Bastia beat 10-man Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in Ligue 1 on Sunday as speculation mounted that the struggling southern giants might sack their Spanish coach Michel.
The result keeps Marseille in 13th place, without a win since Feb. 2 and on fewer than half the points tally of archrivals and champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Speculation was already mounting last week that Marseille were considering sacking Michel, a former Real Madrid winger, who has coached Getafe and Sevilla in his homeland and Olympiakos in Greece.
Photo: AFP
“We are stuck and it hurts,” said Michel, who left the game in a car with Marseille president Vincent Labrune, having arrived with the players on the team bus.
“The players are destroyed tonight,” Michel said. “It s now up to the president and the owner to decide what to do next.”
With both teams having played 32 games, PSG have 80 points, while Marseille have 39 and are just six points above the relegation zone.
On a balmy afternoon at Bastia, speedy striker Francois Kamano ripped the Marseille defense open with a wide run in the 47th minute and his shot was met by defender Karim Rekik, who turned the ball into his own goal.
Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda then fouled Kamano, with Gael Danic smashing the ensuing penalty straight down the middle to make it 2-0 after 56 minutes.
Michel wasted no time in bringing on Michy Batshuayi and the Belgian striker grabbed a great peg-back goal in the 77th minute after taking a long ball down with his back to goal, turning three defenders and thumping a shot beyond Bastia goalkeeper Jean-Luis Leca’s grasp.
Marseille’s Romain Alessandrini was then sent off after a two-footed kick from the ground on Alexander Djiku, who had tripped him.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Florian Thauvin reflected on Marseille’s mood after the defeat saying: “I am sick and tired of everything. I really do not know what to say. I feel tired and beaten.”
Olympique Lyonnais dug deep for a come-from-behind 3-1 win at Lorient that lifted them into third, with a brace from Alexandre Lacazette either side of a fine strike from Rachid Ghezzal.
After Lyon had gone behind to Marjeed Waris’ strike, Lacazette took his Ligue 1 tally to 16 with six games to go.
Girondins de Bordeaux are second in Ligue 1 on 55 points, while Lyon occupy the third and final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot on 52 points.
Resurgent Lille OSC won a fourth straight league game, with striker Eder socring twice and setting up a third for defender Stoppila Sunzu in an impressive 3-0 away win at Nantes.
Lille have climbed from 15th to seventh in a little more than a month, taking 15 points from a possible 18, as coach Frederic Antonetti’s techniques close Lille’s season on far better form than under former coach Herve Renard, who was fired in November last year.
“Nantes are a good side, but we had them good and proper,” Antonetti said. “I think we have a chance of Europe now... Our first objective when I came here was survival.”
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