PARIS — In a notable match on Sunday, striker Evann Guessand contributed to Nice’s 2-0 victory over Marseille, scoring one goal and providing an assist for Mohamed-Ali Cho. This win secured Nice’s move up to fourth position in the French league standings. Meanwhile, Marseille’s aspirations to catch the league leaders, Paris Saint-Germain, took a hit as they now find themselves ten points behind. Nice is just one point away from third-placed Monaco and now only four points behind Marseille, who have suffered their fourth defeat this season.
The game proved to be a challenging night for Marseille, with their attackers struggling to make an impact and their defense failing to hold up, conceding an early goal just seven minutes into the match. Lilian Brassier lost possession of the ball near midfield and, after reclaiming it, mismanaged it under pressure. Guessand seized the opportunity to take the ball away, racing through before delicately lifting it over goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli while Brassier attempted to clear it off the line.
The second goal came shortly after halftime when Guessand skillfully controlled the ball on his chest and surged toward the edge of the penalty area. He sent a precise pass to Cho, who found the bottom right corner of the net, doubling Nice’s lead in the 51st minute.
In other match events, Othmane Maamma came off the bench to score the crucial goal for Montpellier, which secured a 2-1 win against Toulouse, allowing them to escape the bottom of the league table. Maamma, just 19 years old, scored with a well-timed header from a cross delivered by midfielder Téji Savanier in the 83rd minute. Toulouse had initially taken the lead in the 59th minute thanks to midfielder Cristian Casseres, but central defender Modibo Sagnan equalized shortly after, allowing Montpellier to achieve their second consecutive victory, moving them to 17th place while pushing Le Havre to the bottom of the standings.
In other low-scoring matches, seventh-placed Lens edged out Angers with a 1-0 victory at home, with Facundo Medina assisting Poland’s Przemyslaw Frankowski for the match’s only goal shortly after the break. Eighth-placed Brest also registered a 1-0 win against Le Havre, bolstered by a score from striker Ludovic Ajorque, refining their strategy ahead of a Champions League clash with Real Madrid this Wednesday.
On a day where goals were hard to come by, Mostafa Mohamed netted a late equalizer for Nantes to secure a 1-1 draw against Lyon. Lyon initially took the lead in the 10th minute with a goal from forward Ernest Nuamah, who capitalized on a cross from Argentina’s Nicolás Tagliafico. Paris Saint-Germain, while remaining unbeaten, played to a 1-1 draw at home against Reims on Saturday, with new signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia playing a pivotal role by assisting PSG’s goal on his debut.
