Rabiot and Gouiri shine as Marseille tighten grip on second place

Marseille solidified their hold on second place in Ligue 1 with a commanding 2-0 victory over Angers at the Stade Raymond Kopa on Sunday. Goals from Adrien Rabiot and Neal Maupay secured three points for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, keeping them six points clear of the chasing pack.

Marseille dominated proceedings but had to wait until the 69th minute for a breakthrough. Rabiot rose highest to meet an Amine Gouiri corner, nodding in his third headed goal in five matches. Five minutes later, substitute Maupay combined with Gouiri before slotting home his fourth goal since joining from Everton.

Gouiri was instrumental on his first start since arriving from Rennes in January, while Algeria international Ismael Bennacer impressed on debut following his loan move from AC Milan.

“He played as if he has been playing with us for two or three years when he only arrived three days ago,” De Zerbi said of Bennacer. “We really played like a top team.”

Despite their strong form, Marseille remain 10 points adrift of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated Monaco 4-1 on Friday. De Zerbi, however, insists his team must continue looking forward.

“We also need to look in front. If we don’t have the ambition to aim higher, we could end up being frustrated or even humiliated,” he said. “We obviously might not fulfil our objectives, but that doesn’t matter.”

In Sunday’s other matches, Paulo Fonseca earned his first win as Lyon coach with a resounding 4-0 victory over Reims, lifting his side to sixth. Strasbourg beat Montpellier 2-0, while Toulouse and Auxerre played out a 2-2 draw.

(Source: AFP)