Champions League: Marseille revives against Sporting Portugal

Leonardo Balerdi celebrates his goal against Sporting Portugal.

AFP - NICOLAS TUCAT

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

2 mins

After having started its European campaign with two defeats, Marseille offered its first victory in C1 this season against Sporting Portugal (4-1).

Alexis Sanchez, Hamine Harit, Leonardo Balerdi and Chancel Mbemba are the four OM scorers, while Francisco Trincão opened the scoring in the first minute.

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A meeting behind closed doors for Marseille.

And above all a catastrophic start to the match which started fifteen minutes after the official time due to Portuguese players arriving late at the Stade Vélodrome.

Decidedly, the Phocaeans are very angry with the Champions League.

Success changes sides

Barely a minute after the start of the match against Sporting Portugal, the Marseillais conceded a goal.

Perfectly launched, Francisco Trincão transplanted in the axis and rolled up a nice shot from the left in the area which deceived Lopez at the far post.

The defense remains totally apathetic.

After 16 defeats in OM's last 17 matches in C1, Igor Tudor's men did not have to reassure the supporters who remained behind their television screens.

Except that sometimes success changes sides at lightning speed.

On a poor recovery from the Sporting goalkeeper, the Chilean Alexis Sanchez counters the ball and equalizes (13th).

Marseille is finally launched in this 2022-2023 edition.

Three minutes later, Hamine Harit scored the first goal of his Champions League career, cutting the ball with a header at the near post to deceive misplaced goalkeeper Adan.

Just before, Sanchez had been denied the double for offside.

Decidedly in a bad evening, Adan takes a red card when leaving his area, Sporting Portugal is reduced to 10 (23rd).

And the Marseillais continue to score with the Argentinian Balerdi (28th).

In the second half, the Congolese Chancel Mbemba plays the leading attackers to score Marseille's fourth goal (84th).

Disappointing against Tottenham (0-2 on September 7) then again against Frankfurt (0-1 on September 13), Marseille has now scored its first points.

Shadow on the board, the right side of the France team, Jonathan Clauss, was injured seven weeks before the entry into the running of the Blues at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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