Marseille beat Chamonix Mont Blanc 3:2 on Tuesday evening in the Ligue Magnus. The visitors held on for the win despite a late rally from the hosts at the Palais des Sports. Both sides arrived with identical records — four victories and one defeat from five matches each.
and here's the thing — we had tipped the home side to win, though the confidence was only 46 per cent. The match refused to follow that script. Chamonix started brightly enough, but Marseille's response in the middle period shifted the momentum entirely.
by then the visitors had found their rhythm. They took control after the opening exchange and never really looked back. The home side pressed, but the gaps appeared when it mattered most. One mistake ends it in this league, and Chamonix's defensive lapse proved costly.
the recent form told a different story before kickoff. Chamonix had won four straight — including 6:4 against Sergy-Pontoise and 3:0 versus Briançon — while Marseille had dropped a heavy 4:0 defeat to Briançon on their previous visit. That result seemed to have shaken them, or perhaps sharpened their focus.
to be fair, the standings remain tight at the top. Two points separate the third and first positions, and neither side can afford another slip. This result keeps both sides within striking distance, even if the away end never stopped after the break.
the final tally leaves Marseille third and Chamonix second, but the gap is negligible. A fourth straight win for the visitors, and one for the home side that ended rather than extended. The table will shift again by the weekend, and that is simply how it goes.