Gouiri needs 46 seconds of the second half, and Marseille turn an even night into a rout
Nothing separated the sides for 45 minutes. Then Amine Gouiri scored the moment the second half started, added a penalty, and Strasbourg — down to ten men — conceded twice more in the closing minutes.
For 45 minutes the Vélodrome watched a season opener that refused to open. Marseille had the ball and the territory, Strasbourg had a low block and no obvious way out of it, and the half ended 0-0 without either goalkeeper being seriously worked.
The second half needed less than a minute. Amine Gouiri finished at 46', and from there the game stopped being a contest.
Gouiri twice, then the red card, then the pile-on
Gouiri's second came from the penalty spot on 68 minutes. By then Strasbourg were already a man short: Samir El Mourabet had gone off after a VAR review on 59 minutes, and a side that had spent the first half defending in numbers now had one fewer body to do it with.
The last ten minutes were the scoreline being written properly. Keyliane Abdallah got his first goal for the club at 89', and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg volleyed the fourth deep into stoppage time, at 90+6'.
The numbers say what the eye did. Marseille finished with 67% of the ball, 623 accurate passes at 91%, 14 shots and 8 on target against Strasbourg's five and two. The 1.89 expected goals is not a huge figure — it is a fair one for a team that scored four times from a small number of very good chances.
Match facts
- 46' — Amine Gouiri (Marseille)
- 59' — Samir El Mourabet (Strasbourg) sent off after a VAR review
- 68' — Amine Gouiri (Marseille), penalty
- 89' — Keyliane Abdallah (Marseille)
- 90+6' — Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Marseille)
| Stat | Marseille | Strasbourg |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 67% | 33% |
| Total shots | 14 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.89 | 0.20 |
| Accurate passes | 623 (91%) | 282 (84%) |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Fouls committed | 6 | 12 |
| Saves | 2 | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
What's next
Marseille go to Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Sunday 30 August — a considerably better read on where this side actually is than a home game against a Strasbourg team that spent half an hour with ten men. Strasbourg host Lens at the Meinau on Saturday 29 August, needing a first point and a first goal of the season.
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