OM started the year well and consolidated their 2nd place in Ligue 1 by crushing Le Havre at the Vélodrome (5-1) on Sunday, while Lens, disturbed behind the scenes by the imbroglio surrounding the transfer of Brice Samba, had a much more complicated return to school by being beaten at Bollaert by Toulouse (0-1).
The Marseillais, usually not very lively against small teams, this time left no chance for the unfortunate Le Havre, in great difficulty at the moment and quickly overwhelmed. Valentin Rongier (25th), Bilal Nadir (39th), Neal Maupay (43rd), Elye Wahi (66th) and Ulisses Garcia (75th), who entered the game shortly before and scored on his first ball, pierced the porous Norman defense, offering their teammates three precious points ahead of Monaco, their main pursuer in the standings (3rd).
Once the outcome of the match was sealed, the Marseille public even took the liberty of chanting the name of the opposing scorer, André Ayew, former glory of the club (85th).
Le Havre, who suffered a fourth defeat in a row in the league after a pitiful elimination in the round of 32 of the Coupe de France against the amateurs of Saint-Brieuc (N2) just before the holidays, are on the other hand in tough times and now occupy a worrying penultimate position (17th).
For Lens, it is time for the Samba file – replaced in goals by Hervé Koffi against Toulouse – to close. The French international goalkeeper’s departure to Rennes drags on and the Sang et Or seem to be paying for it on the pitch.
Will Still’s men experienced a real nightmare against Toulouse – deprived of their Valais captain Vincent Sierro, injured in a leg in training and left to rest this weekend – with an exclusion, that of David Pereira da Costa at the 61st minute of play, and a penalty conceded for a foul by Malang Sarr on Zakaria Aboukhlal and transformed by the Moroccan striker (73rd).
Lens (7th) thus moves away from the European places with this setback which ends a short period of invincibility of three matches in L1.
At the bottom of the table, Angers gives itself a little oxygen (14th) with a 2-0 success against Brest, which definitely offers two diametrically opposed faces on the national and continental scene. Qualified at least for the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Champions League, the Bretons are still not taking off in Ligue 1 and are in a somewhat glorious 12th position.
Finally, Strasbourg (10th) did not tremble by easily winning against Auxerre (3-1).
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