Marseille Demolish Le Havre 5-1 to Solidify Second Place in Ligue 1

Olympique de Marseille strengthened their grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a resounding 5-1 win over Le Havre at the Stade Vélodrome.

Olympique de Marseille solidified their grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a resounding 5-1 victory over Le Havre at the Stade Vélodrome. This win marked Marseille's sixth consecutive unbeaten match, while Le Havre's struggles continued with their fifth straight defeat.

Le Havre, who began the match second from bottom, adopted a defensive strategy, sitting deep in an attempt to frustrate their hosts. This approach proved effective in the early stages, as Marseille were limited to long-range efforts from Adrien Rabiot and Mason Greenwood, both of which narrowly missed the target.

Le Havre's resistance was eventually breached, and Marseille's dominance paid off. In the 25th minute, a misplaced clearance landed at the feet of Valentin Rongier, who was given ample space 25 yards from goal. He seized the opportunity, unleashing a precise strike into the bottom corner to score his second league goal of the season.

The goal failed to prompt a change in Le Havre's defensive tactics, but it proved to be a futile effort as Marseille added two more goals before the halftime break. The second goal came when Quentin Merlin played a through ball to Bilal Nadir, who expertly slotted the ball past Arthur Desmas from a tight angle. Marseille's third goal followed soon after, as Merlin headed a cross back across the goal, allowing Neal Maupay to nod it home and further extend the hosts' lead.

Neal Maupay was instrumental in Marseille's pursuit of a fourth goal early in the second half, but his finishing touch was initially lacking. Despite forcing his way through tight marking to create a scoring opportunity, Maupay dragged his shot wide, missing the target. Shortly after, he cleverly evaded the offside trap and met Mason Greenwood's cleverly scooped pass over the top. Maupay attempted to loft the ball over goalkeeper Arthur Desmas, but the latter managed to get his fingertips to it, diverting the shot onto the crossbar.

⏱️ 90+5’ | #OMHAC 5️⃣-1️⃣

𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗜𝗥𝗘 ! 🤩 💙

Sérieux et appliqués, nos 𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘀 nous ont régalés pour cette première de l’année à l’@orangevelodrome ! 💪 🏟️

5️⃣ buts marqués et 3️⃣ points de plus au compteur, bravo messieurs ! 👏✅ pic.twitter.com/JLgFTLm03f

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) January 5, 2025

The fourth goal seemed almost inevitable, and it finally arrived midway through the second half. Mason Greenwood played a pivotal role, meeting a long ball forward and drawing the goalkeeper out of position. Greenwood then selflessly squared the ball to Elye Wahi, who had replaced Maupay, and Wahi applied a simple finish to seal Marseille's fourth goal.

Marseille continued to assert their dominance, adding a fourth goal with 15 minutes remaining. Amir Murillo made a decisive run to the byline and delivered a precise cross to Ulisses Garcia, who tapped the ball home with ease.

Le Havre managed to score a late consolation goal, courtesy of a header from Andre Ayew, but the celebrations from the visiting fans were understandably subdued. The goal marked only the 12th of the season for Didier Digard's side, and it did little to alleviate the disappointment of their 12th league defeat. While the goal denied Marseille a clean sheet, the hosts took comfort in extending their unbeaten head-to-head record against Le Havre to 21 matches and strengthening their bid for a Champions League spot next season.