PLAYER RATINGS | Marseille 2-1 Monaco: Mason Greenwood's late winner sees OM leapfrog Monaco
Yesterday at 05:58 PM
Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 13, 01/12/24
Mason Greenwood’s late penalty saw Olympique de Marseille beat AS Monaco (2-1) and end a wait of two-and-a-half months for a victory at the Vélodrome, whilst also allowing OM to leapfrog Les Monégasques into second in Ligue 1.
The Match
Marseille’s players have struggled with the Vélodrome atmosphere in recent weeks and the fans were on their backs after a passive first-half display. Eliesse Ben Seghir had the chance to open the scoring early on, latching onto Folarin Balogun’s ball but shooting straight at Geronimo Rulli.
Happy to be pragmatic, capitalise on OM’s errors and stay compact, Monaco did take the lead, profiting from a stray pass from Valentin Rongier and putting the ball in the back of the net three passes later, Aleksandr Golovin providing the finishing touch at the back post.
However, that lead didn’t hold. It was a different OM side that emerged for the second half and they quickly equalised through Luis Henrique. It came courtesy of another error, this time from Mohammed Salisu who misread the game, heading into the path of Neal Maupay, who in turn found Henrique to head into the empty net.
Whilst Denis Zakaria had a golden chance to re-take the lead in the wake of that goal, Monaco had to withstand a period of pressure, which nonetheless did not yield a high-quality chance, with only Mason Greenwood testing Radoslaw Majecki with a long-range effort.
Having ridden the wave of Marseille pressure, Monaco went back on the offensive, with Takumi Minamino finding the side netting from a solid chance inside the OM box. But with the game seemingly heading towards a draw that may have suited all parties, Les Phocéens found the winner.
Christian Mawissa handled within his own box with Greenwood, largely subdued on the night, stepping up to convert the penalty, convert the turn-around, secure just OM’s second home win of the season, and allow them to leapfrog Monaco into second, albeit only on goal difference.
Marseille player ratings
Geronimo Rulli – 6
Ulisses Garcia – 3
Leonardo Balerdi – 5
Geoffrey Kondogbia – 5
Michael Murillo – 4
Valentin Rongier – 4
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 5
Adrien Rabiot – 4
A timid display from the France international, who was too often looking to go sideways and backwards, rather than playing the – sometimes more simple – progressive pass. An unimpactful display.
Luis Henrique – 5
Neal Maupay – 5
Mason Greenwood – 5
Largely kept quiet by Matsiwa, the former Manchester United forward nonetheless proved decisive late on, keeping his cool to dispatch his penalty.
Monaco player ratings
Radoslaw Majecki – 5
Christian Mawissa – 4
Mohammed Salisu – 3
Wilfried Singo – 5
Vanderson – 4
Denis Zakaria – 6
Soungoutou Magassa – 6
A dominant first-half performance gave way to a less influential display in the second, however, his combativity (nine duels won) and ability to stretch the play with long diagonal balls were key throughout.
Aleksandr Golovin – 6
Eliesse Ben Seghir – 4
Maghnes Akliouche – 4
Folarin Balogun – 5
In his first start since the start of October, the former Arsenal forward was key early on, setting up Ben Seghir inside the box whilst also making the important dummy run for Les Monégasques’ opener. His influence waned as the match wore on but he did make his mark.
