Marseille kept their title challenge alive in Ligue 1 with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Toulouse on Sunday, thanks to goals from Chancel Mbemba, Cengiz Under and Nuno Tavares. Marseille’s sixth successive away win in the league keeps them in the hunt for the title, firmly keeping the heat on current leaders PSG.
The home side had taken an early lead through Thijs Dallinga’s strike but Marseille’s superior quality shone through as they turned the game around in the second half and grabbed all three points. Marseille made sure of the win when Nuno Tavares struck late on, making Marseille’s dominance evident.
It was a closely fought affair throughout, with Marseille having most of the possession for much of the match. Despite this their efforts to break down their opponents’ defense were stifled by Toulouse’s resilient performance. Marseille did manage to create several chances however, and it was midfield maestro Chancel Mbemba who found a breakthrough goal just before halftime. His powerful header gave his team hope of a comeback and kickstarted Marseille into gear after the break.
Cengiz Under then doubled Marseille’s lead with a trademark curling effort shortly afterwards, giving Marseille control over proceedings as they looked increasingly dangerous going forward. Toulouse refused to lie down however, and managed to hit back almost immediately through Pierre-Yves Polomat’s well placed effort past goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.
At 2-2 it seemed like Marseille may have had to settle for just one point but Nuno Tavares had other ideas; he struck deep into injury time from close range to give Marseille all three points and keep them hot on PSG’s tail at the top of Ligue 1. It was a moment that could prove decisive come May when all is said and done and Marseille will be glad of their impressive form away from home this season; six wins out of seven games so far speaks volumes about how confident they are travelling around France’s top division this term.
Marseille’s players looked jubilant at full time wearing matching blue Marseille jerseys – classy attire for an outstanding victory – as they celebrated together amongst their supporters in joyous scenes at Stade Municipal de Toulouse. With confidence high amongst Les Phoceens heading into 2021 and beyond it looks like it could be another exciting year for Marseilles fans as they dream of success both domestically and continentally under their new coach Andre Villas Boas.
And with Marseille pushing PSG all the way in the title race, it’s set to be a thrilling conclusion to the season come May. Marseille’s players will have to maintain their strong form if they are to make their dreams a reality but after such an impressive performance against Toulouse, Marseille fans can believe that anything is possible.