Neymar, four others sent off as Marseille grab rare win at PSG

Olympique Marseille earned a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain (PSG) on Sunday in a match which saw five players sent off and two goals disallowed.

Forward Florian Thauvin struck in the 31st minute of a pulsating though ill-tempered match at the Parc des Princes for Marseille’s first league win over PSG since November 2011.

It condemned PSG, who were last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up, to their second straight league defeat after they suffered a 1-0 opening day setback at Lens.

Thauvin scored against the run of play, steering in a Dimitri Payet free-kick inside the near post from close range.

This was after the home side had come close through Marco Verratti and Neymar, who also missed a pair of chances in the second half.

Littered by crunching fouls at either end in the first half, the game produced some free-flowing football after the break.

Visiting goalkeeper Steve Mandanda pulled off several superb saves and both sides had goals disallowed for offside.

Angel Di Maria’s effort for PSG was ruled out in the 62nd minute.

Marseille substitute Dario Benedetto’s scorcher was also scrapped two minutes later as Thauvin, who unleashed the initial shot, was marginally behind the last PSG defender.

PSG, who missed several first-team regulars who had contracted the COVID-19 virus, pressed hard in the closing stages.

But Marseille’s rugged defence held firm as the 1993 European Cup winners made it two wins out of two.

A full-scale brawl broke out on the pitch in the last minute of stoppage time.

It forced referee Jerome Brisard to send off PSG’s Neymar, Laywin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes, as well as Marseille’s duo of Benedetto and Jordan Amavi. (Reuters/NAN)