Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang led his team, Marseille, to a thrilling 3-2 victory over visiting Lyon on Sunday evening, in the final match of the 24th round of the French Ligue 1. Aubameyang's brace in the last ten minutes salvaged the southern club's hopes of securing a direct qualification spot for the Champions League.
Marseille came close to suffering a defeat that would have complicated their task and widened the gap with third-placed Lyon to eight points, as the visitors took an early lead through Corentin Tolisso in the third minute. Although Brazilian substitute Igor Baixao equalized for the home side in the 52nd minute, Lyon regained the lead through substitute Rémy Ambert in the 76th minute.
Aubameyang stepped up at the crucial moment to score the equalizer in the 81st minute, before sealing the victory with a goal in the first minute of stoppage time. This win is a morale boost for coach Habib Bey, who took over at Marseille on February 18th, replacing Italian Roberto De Zerbi, as it reduces the gap with Lyon to just two points.
In a related context, coach Antoine Kombouaré succeeded in his first test with Paris FC, leading them to a 1-0 victory over Nice, with the goal scored by Zimbabwean Marshall Munetsi in the 26th minute. This victory ended a run of six matches without a win for the team, bringing their total to 26 points in 14th place.
Following the match, Kombouaré emphasized that the victory was hard-fought, describing the game as a chance for redemption after the previous heavy defeat against Lens. The new coach made his mark by excluding former captain Maxime Lopez and his brother Julien from the squad. The match also saw Paris FC defender Thibaut de Smet sent off in the final moments, while Nice continued their winless streak, failing to secure a victory for the fifth consecutive match.
On the other hand, Lille continued its strong performances, achieving its third consecutive victory by defeating Nantes with a killer goal scored by Belgian Nathan Ngoy in the 94th minute, raising its tally to 40 points, while Nantes' tally remained frozen at 17 points in seventeenth place.
Brest overcame being reduced to ten men after the dismissal of their Malian player, Daouda Guindo, in the 22nd minute, to defeat hosts Metz 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ludovic Ajorque in the 69th minute. Brest moved up to ninth place with 33 points, while Metz remained rooted to the bottom of the table with 13 points, edging closer to relegation. The match between Lorient and their visitors, Auxerre, ended in a 2-2 draw.
