PARIS — New recruit Amine Gouiri played a crucial role in Marseille’s 2-0 victory over Angers in the French league on Sunday, providing assists for both goals in the second half.
With this win, Marseille solidified their position in second place, extending their lead to six points over Nice, who are in third.
Gouiri, who made a late transfer from Rennes at the January deadline, had already made an impact in his debut last week with an assist in the 3-2 win over Lyon.
In the match against Angers, the talented forward delivered a precise curling corner from the right in the 69th minute, which was expertly headed in by France midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Just five minutes later, Gouiri showcased his skill again as he drove down the left flank before delivering an assist to Neal Maupay, who calmly slotted it home just outside the penalty area.
Rabiot’s header marked his second goal in as many matches.
Earlier on Sunday, Lyon made a strong impression with a dominant 4-0 victory over Reims in the home debut of their new coach, Paulo Fonseca.
Fonseca stepped in after the dismissal of Pierre Sage, who had failed to secure a win in his last six games.
In Fonseca’s initial match at the helm, Lyon fell narrowly to Marseille, but they bounced back with an impressive display against Reims, showcasing a cohesive team effort with contributions from four different players.
The scoring opened when left-back Nicolas Tagliafico volleyed in a cross from Corentin Tolisso just before halftime, and Tolisso himself doubled the lead with a header from Rayan Cherki’s delivery in the second half.
Cherki then got on the scoresheet, making it 3-0 in the 79th minute, and after Reims midfielder Patrick Zabi received a red card, Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze capped off the rout by converting another cross from Cherki.
This resounding win enabled Lyon to rise above Lens into sixth place, trailing Lille in fifth by just two points.
In other matches, Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha netted his ninth league goal of the season, helping mid-table Strasbourg to a 2-0 victory over struggling Montpellier.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traore also hit his ninth of the season for Auxerre, though they settled for a late 2-2 draw against Toulouse after conceding an equalizer thanks to 19-year-old Noah Edjouma’s first professional goal in the 89th minute.
In a previous fixture, runaway league leaders Paris Saint-Germain dispatched Monaco with a convincing 4-1 victory on Friday.
