AN early header from defender Nayef Aguerd secured a 1-0 victory for Marseille over Paris Saint-Germain in a fiercely contested Ligue 1 clash.
The Moroccan defender scored his second goal in as many league appearances for his new club just five minutes into the match at the Stade Velodrome.
PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier misjudged a deflected Mason Greenwood cross, allowing Aguerd to head into an unguarded net for the only goal of the game.
“We are not used to losing games,“ said PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side remained undefeated in Ligue 1 last season until late April.
The highly anticipated fixture was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed for 24 hours due to storm warnings in southern France.
Local authorities called off the match over concerns that forecast heavy rainfall posed a significant risk to players and spectators.
Rescheduling the match created a clash with the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony in Paris, which several PSG players attended as nominees.
Ousmane Dembele was among the PSG stars who missed the match due to injury but could attend the awards event.
Luis Enrique also had to manage without fellow injured players Desire Doue and Joao Neves for the crucial away fixture.
Achraf Hakimi was deployed in an advanced wing role instead of his usual right-back position in a strong but ultimately unsuccessful PSG lineup.
Marseille held onto their early lead to secure a first home league victory against their great rivals since November 2011.
Aguerd’s goal marked the first time Marseille had scored at home against PSG in Ligue 1 since 2017.
Amine Gouiri came close to doubling the lead for the home side when he struck the crossbar shortly after the opening goal.
Marseille had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half before goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli made key second-half saves.
Fiery Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi received a late red card on the touchline during the tense closing stages.
The result handed PSG their first defeat of the season after winning their opening four Ligue 1 matches.
PSG dropped to second in the table behind Monaco on goals scored, with both teams level on 12 points.
Lyon and Strasbourg also have 12 points, creating a tightly packed top four in the early season standings.
Marseille climbed to sixth position in the table, now just three points behind the leading quartet of teams.
“I think we deserved to win against a team who are defining an era,“ said Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi.
The Italian coach compared PSG’s influence to legendary teams like Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan and Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. – AFP
