Ligue 1: Marseille Suffer Late Loss to Lyon, Monaco Secure Victory in Five-Goal Showdown
In a thrilling start to the Ligue 1 season, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain have both secured maximum points after three games, with Lyon edging out Marseille in a tense encounter.
The turning point came in the 87th minute when captain Leonardo Balerdi scored the decisive goal for Lyon following a goalmouth scramble. The goal came after Marseille's CJ Egan-Riley was sent off in the 29th minute for tackling Malick Fofana as the last defender.
Marseille's struggles continued as they suffered their second defeat in three games this season, leaving them 10th in the table, six points behind the leaders. This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that Marseille have lost two of their first three games.
Meanwhile, Lyon have made an impressive start to the season, winning their first three games for the first time since the 1981-82 season. Georges Mikautadze, who won the Golden Boot at Euro 2024 before joining Lyon, registered 17 goal involvements (11 goals, six assists) in 34 Ligue 1 games last season. To compensate for Mikautadze's expected departure to Villarreal, Lyon signed Michael Olise as a backup player for the coming season.
Paris Saint-Germain also had a successful weekend, with Moses Simon scoring the winner for Paris FC in their 3-2 home victory over Metz. Paris FC got off the mark in their first season back in the top-flight. Paris Saint-Germain are now level on points with Lyon at the top of the table.
Elsewhere, Monaco bounced back from their previous defeat to beat Strasbourg 3-2 on Sunday. Strasbourg finished the game with 10 men after Dilane Bakwa received a red card. Takumi Minamino scored the winning goal for Monaco in the 96th minute, putting them back in front. Strasbourg and Monaco both have six points ahead of the international break.
Rennes are currently on four points after drawing 1-1 with Angers. The draw means Rennes are yet to win this season, but they remain in the top half of the table.
As the Ligue 1 season continues to unfold, the race at the top looks set to be a close one, with Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain leading the way. However, Marseille will be hoping to turn their fortunes around and challenge for a place in the top four.
