Rennes (AFP)

Olympique de Marseille, solid dolphin of Paris SG, gained momentum Friday for its second half of the season, beating on the wire (1-0) the surprising 3rd, Rennes, at the opening of the 20th day of the championship of Ligue 1.

Marseille, which has garnered 25 points out of the 27 possible in the last 9 days, continues its series of undefeated matches, and ends that of five victories for Rennes, relegated to 8 points from the 2nd but with a late game to play Wednesday in Nîmes.

The clash between the two fit teams of the moment kept all its promises in terms of spectacle, with bitter duels and a series of opportunities on both sides, in front of the nearly 30,000 spectators - including several hundred Marseillais very noisy - from a roazhon park.

The match started at a high pace, with openings on both sides, although the real opportunities remained rare.

Marseille side, a shot from Alvaro Gonzales after a corner kick by Dimitri Payet bounced off the post (27th).

On the Rennes side, it was a shot from Benjamin Bourigeaud, served by a long cross from Romain Del Castillo, who came up against a Steve Mandanda, little requested but effective for his return after his injury in mid-December (42nd).

But even if the Marseillais were more constructive, while the Bretons quickly resorted to long forward passes that Mbaye Niang could not exploit, it was on a draw that the two teams returned to the locker room, in a tense atmosphere.

As soon as he returned from the locker room, Benedetto, alone in the box, missed his lead (45 ').

- Strootman between and marks -

Little by little, the Rennais were showing more control, but without being able to materialize their opportunities, stumbling several times on Mandanda, thus authoring a winning outing to counter Raphinha launched at full speed against him (72nd). A raphinha strike also passed right by.

Julien Stéphan's players continued to push, but those of Andre Villas-Boas ended up taking the upper hand in the 84th: Mendy rejected a free kick drawn by Payet, but Kevin Strootman, barely entered the game, sent the ball into the nets.

And Rennes' efforts to come back in the final minutes were in vain.

For Marseille, author of a slow recovery last week in the Coupe de France against the Trélissac fans who only gave in on penalties, this victory, even in pain, gives a little breath before his trips to come to Bordeaux (22nd day), Saint-Étienne (23rd day), Lille (25th day) ...

In view of their efforts, the Britons who had drawn the draw (1-1) at the Vélodrome during the first leg may have regrets. But they, who were 12th a month and a half ago, have again proven that they can stand up to the best.

Program for the 20th day:

Friday

Rennes - Marseille 0 - 1

Saturday

(5.30 p.m.) Bordeaux - Lyon

(8:00 p.m.) Amiens - Montpellier

Angers - Nice

Toulouse - Brest

Nîmes - Reims

Metz - Strasbourg

Sunday

(3:00 p.m.) Saint-Etienne - Nantes

(5:00 p.m.) Dijon - Lille

(9:00 p.m.) Paris SG - Monaco

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