Eight days before the end of the championship, OM scored a good blow to Geoffroy-Guichard, exploiting the draw from Nice and Rennes (1-1) on Saturday at the Allianz Riviera.

The Marseillais kept a cool head despite the postponement of the match, scheduled for Saturday but postponed due to snowfall, and a failed start to the meeting.

Denis Bouanga gave the Olympians chills, first by deceiving the vigilance of Pau Lopez (9th, 0-1), guilty of an unusual handball, then by beating the Spanish goalkeeper again, finally saved by a position offside (42nd).

However, the visitors managed to raise the bar by exploiting the feverishness of the Stéphanois, punished by penalties from Dimitri Payet (45th + 2, 1-1) and Bamba Dieng (68th, 3-1), and by a goal gag counter- his-camp of Timothée Kolodziejczak (60th, 2-1).

Amine Harit, holder in Forez, increased the addition (73rd, 4-1) before the reduction of the score of young Lucas Gourna-Douath (86th, 4-2).

With this third success in a row in L1, OM are moving forward with serenity towards their next fixtures: the quarter-finals of the Europa League Conference against PAOK Salonika, the reception of Montpellier and the "classic" on the lawn of Paris SG.

Hard for the last

Saint-Etienne, still eighteenth in the play-off position, comes to a halt after three matches without defeat.

But Pascal Dupraz's team will find comfort in the missteps of its competitors for maintenance: the penultimate Metz remains at a good distance after its 2-1 defeat against Monaco while the 17th Clermont, beaten 3-2 by Nantes, retains only a one-point lead.

Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni abandoned by his defense against Marseille at Geoffroy-Guichard, here on the goal of Amine Harit (N.7), April 3, 2022 JEFF PACHOUD AFP

Troyes gave themselves some air by dominating Reims (1-0) in added time thanks to Renaud Rippart.

Brest played a bad trick on Montpellier, with a 2-1 victory at La Mosson.

Fifteenth at the end of last season, Strasbourg is playing spoilsport this year at the forefront of Ligue 1.

After their short success against Lens on Sunday, here are the Alsatians in fourth place with 51 points, like Nice hung on Saturday by Rennes (1-1), but they are ahead by virtue of a better goal difference.

They are only two points behind Rennes, whom they will receive on April 20.

In a boiling Meinau, the Strasbourgeois won a high-intensity duel thanks to a penalty from Ludovic Ajorque (67th, 1-0), author of his 11th goal of the season, the first for almost three months.

The great Reunion striker got a second, but Jean-Louis Leca repelled Kevin Gameiro's attempt (71st).

The joy of Ludovic Ajorque (left) after opening the scoring for Strasbourg during the reception of Lens at La Meinau, April 3, 2022 SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP

With this second defeat in a month, Lens slipped in the standings to ninth place, far from its European ambitions.

Nantes, Lille and Monaco are ahead.

© 2022 AFP