Marseille defeated Athletic Club 3:1 in a Club Friendlies fixture on Saturday evening at the Vélodrome. The result gives the hosts a confidence boost ahead of their upcoming campaign, though the match was never beyond doubt. A. Gomes opened the scoring early, but Athletic responded before the interval.
Gomes struck in the tenth minute, putting Marseille ahead on the board. Sancet levelled matters for the visitors in the thirty-fourth, a reminder that cup football has its own rules. Then came the moment that shifted things: Paixao found a way through in the forty-minute mark, and Marseille led again.
and here's the thing — the match had a rhythm that cameras miss. By then, Marseille were controlling space without dominating possession. Athletic pressed forward, but the home side dug in when needed. The yellow card for Marseille in the thirty-seventh minute barely mattered in the grand scheme.
The second half brought changes. Gouiri came off in the forty-sixth, followed by Weah and then Harit, both substitutions made by Marseille. A late goal in the eighty-sixth sealed the victory, while Athletic accumulated three yellow cards without a red. The visitors ran out of legs toward the end.
Both sides shared possession equally at fifty percent, but Marseille registered more attacks — 87 to 79. The home team earned five corners to Athletic's one, suggesting they pressed higher up the pitch. And here's the thing, more shots don't always mean more goals, but Marseille converted when it counted.
Recent results paint different pictures for both clubs. Marseille have been uneven, with heavy defeats to Nassä and Nantes in their last five. Athletic, meanwhile, have been dominant, including an 11:0 victory over Leioa and back-to-back clean sheets against Burgos and Racing Santander.
The three-point margin matters little in friendlies, but the manner of the win suggests Marseille are finding their footing. Athletic will need to address their defensive discipline — three yellows for a single match is not ideal. The stadium fell silent after the final whistle, but the message was clear enough.