Marquinhos and Torres Give PSG Classique Win at Marseille

Ferran Torres came off the bench to head PSG in front at the Vélodrome, and Marquinhos scored the winner in a 1-2 Classique victory over Marseille.

Torres replaced Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on 59 minutes and scored within eight of them. It was his seventh goal in six games for PSG since he left Barcelona. He had started on the bench despite scoring four times in his previous two matches. Mundo Deportivo named him man of the match.

Marseille answered quickly. Angel Gomes, on as a replacement for the injured Igor Paixão since the 30th minute, dribbled through the PSG defence and levelled. Less than two minutes later Marquinhos put PSG back in front. Jeffrey de Lange first saved his effort, but the captain scored from the rebound.

Marseille then lost captain Tim Weah, sent off on 77 minutes for a second yellow card after catching Nuno Mendes. They finished with 10 men.

The first half had offered little. Neal Maupay missed the best chance for the hosts, and PSG held the ball without finding a way through. Luis Enrique fielded the XI from the last two Champions League finals, with Warren Zaïre-Emery replacing the injured Achraf Hakimi. After the break PSG created five chances in quick succession before Torres scored.

For Marseille it was a fifth straight defeat in all competitions. The run includes a 4-1 loss to Besiktas in the Europa League on Thursday. Yahoo Sports reports that PSG move up to sixth in Ligue 1 before the international break.

PSG opened the season badly. They lost 2-1 at Monaco on 4 September and fell to 12th, with two points from that opening spell. Monaco, who beat them that day, still lead the table with 13 points from five games.

If Torres keeps scoring in this manner, Luis Enrique may keep him on the bench as an option after the break rather than start him. That would leave Kvaratskhelia, who has not yet scored in the league, competing for the same place.