Ligue 1: Marseille Edge Le Havre 1-0 to End Winless Run and Boost European Hopes

Mason Greenwood penalty sinks Le Havre as Marseille revive season

Marseille ended a month without a win with a 1-0 victory at Le Havre, keeping their European qualification hopes alive while leaving the hosts facing a nervy final day.

Greenwood’s 55th-minute penalty gave Marseille a 1-0 win at Le Havre, snapping an 11-game winless streak and moving OM into sixth in Ligue 1...

Le Havre’s battle to avoid relegation will go to the final day after a 1-0 home loss to Marseille. The result stretched their winless run to 11 Ligue 1 games, while giving Marseille a first victory in a month.

Le Havre had stayed afloat with five straight draws in the relegation scrap, and they came out strong at home chasing the win that would secure another season in Ligue 1.

Marseille arrived needing three points to strengthen their push for Europe, but that urgency wasn’t obvious in the first half. They dominated possession without creating much to trouble Le Havre.

The hosts looked lively on the break, though Mbwana Samatta’s best chance was a low drive straight at Geronimo Rulli in the game’s first clear opening.

The match grew scrappy and chances stayed scarce, but Rulli stayed sharp. He produced a key stop before the break to deny Gautier Lloris from close range after the defender slid onto a free-kick, then followed it with another good save to keep out Ayumu Seko’s tap-in from an offside position.

Marseille came out stronger after the break and broke through in the 55th minute. A VAR review showed Lucas Gourna-Douath had blocked Mason Greenwood’s free-kick with his elbow, and OM’s leading scorer stepped up to convert the penalty off the post.

The goal seemed to lift Le Havre instead, and they earned a penalty of their own with 20 minutes left. Sofiane Boufal’s footwork drew a clumsy challenge from Facundo Medina, and he took the spot-kick himself but hit the crossbar. He watched in frustration as Rulli scrambled to clear Issa Soumaré’s header on the rebound.

⏱️ 90+7’ | #HACOM 0️⃣-1️⃣

⏯️ Fin du match !

Nos Olympiens s’imposent face au Havre grâce à un but sur pénalty de 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 ! 💪

🗓️ Prochain rendez-vous dimanche prochain face à Rennes à l'@orangevelodrome pour la dernière journée de @Ligue1 ! pic.twitter.com/UGJcusx0uW

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) May 10, 202

 

That miss appeared to sap Le Havre’s momentum, especially once news filtered through that results elsewhere weren’t falling their way.

Le Havre pressed for an equalizer but couldn’t find one, and Igor Paixão had a late second for Marseille ruled out for offside deep into stoppage time.

The win ends Marseille’s top-four hopes, but it lifts them into sixth and leaves European qualification in their own hands.

Le Havre remain outside the bottom three, so their fate is still in their control. The gap to the relegation play-off spot is now just one point though, setting up a tense final day.