A stoppage-time strike by Andre-Pierre Gignac secured Olympique de Marseille three crucial points in their Ligue 1 title pursuit as they beat Montpellier Herault 3-2 on Saturday.
Andre Ayew had given Marseille the lead on 14 minutes, before Emanuel Herrera replied for the visitors.
John Utaka’s 56th-minute goal put a resurgent Montpellier on course for a fifth win in six matches, but Jordan Ayew leveled 11 minutes from time, before Gignac’s late intervention earned Elie Baup’s side a dramatic victory.
Photo: Reuters
“I had a difficult match against two beasts at the back. It took only one [chance], which came at the end, [making it] even better for the team and the supporters,” Gignac said.
The result pushed Marseille to within one point of leaders Olympique Lyonnais, who were held to a goalless draw at home to Evian Thonon Gaillard on Friday, with archrivals Paris Saint-Germain lying third, three points off the pace, ahead of their trip to Girondins de Bordeaux yesterday.
Andre Ayew, available for selection after his omission from Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, put Marseille ahead when he twisted to head Joey Barton’s cross beyond Geoffrey Jourdren.
The hosts’ lead was short-lived, though, as Emanuel Herrera hauled Montpellier level just three minutes later, running onto Utaka’s pass, before rounding goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and steering in from a tight angle.
Defending champions Montpellier, whose hopes of retaining their Ligue 1 crown were extinguished following a disastrous start to the campaign, appeared on track for a fifth win in six matches as Utaka stabbed home after latching onto Remy Cabella’s ball into the box, but Jordan Ayew turned in his brother’s low cross from close range to draw Marseille back on level terms, before Gignac capitalized on a defensive error by Daniel Congre to slot the ball beyond Jourdren in the first minute of stoppage-time.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Lorient jumped up to fourth following a 3-2 win at home to strugglers ES Troyes AC.
First-half efforts from Kevin Monnet-Paquet and Enzo Reale gave the hosts a two-goal lead, before Jeremie Brechet pulled one back for Troyes on 66 minutes. Gregory Bourillon then added a third for Lorient, while Fabien Camus netted a late consolation.
AS Saint-Etienne halted a sequence of six matches without a victory as Brandao’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory at Stade Brestois 29 for Christophe Galtier’s side, while a Franck Tabanou brace guided Toulouse past bottom club AS Nancy-Lorraine 2-1.
Adrian Mutu notched his fifth goal of the season for AC Ajaccio as the Corsicans drew 1-1 against Valenciennes, with Opa Nguette tallying his first senior goal.
Earlier, Sochaux-Montbeliard climbed out of the relegation zone following a controversial 1-0 victory at home to Stade de Reims that saw them maintain their perfect start to the year.
Loic Poujol forced the ball over the line from Rafael Dias’ corner on 15 minutes, with replays suggesting the midfielder pushed it in with his arm.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
RSS