Harit and Abdelli give Marseille a 2-0 win at Troyes
Amine Harit's 50th-minute goal and Himad Abdelli's stoppage-time penalty gave Marseille a 2-0 win at Troyes on 11 October, despite Troyes taking 15 shots to Marseille's five.
Marseille won 2-0 at Troyes on 11 October. Amine Harit's 50th-minute goal and a stoppage-time penalty from Himad Abdelli (90'+8') decided it, according to Pacy's match stats. The result leaves Marseille 13th in Ligue 1 on six points and Troyes 17th on four.
How it unfolded
Neither side scored before the break. Lucas Maronnier was booked for Troyes in the 22nd minute and Angel Gomes for Marseille in the 45th.
Marseille broke through in the 50th minute. Harit struck with his right foot from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner, from an Emerson cross. Harit was replaced by Keyliane Abdallah in the 63rd minute. The game stopped three times for injuries: for Marseille goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange in the 56th minute, for Paolo Gozzi of Troyes in the 67th, and for Nouhoum Kamissoko in the 73rd, who was replaced by Tochukwu Nnadi.
Troyes finished with four yellow cards, two of them late: Antoine Mille was booked in the 88th minute and Patrick Beach in the 90'+6'. At 90'+8', Abdelli converted Marseille's only penalty of the match with a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner.
The numbers behind it
Troyes leaned on width, sending in 27 crosses to Marseille's 14 and completing 11 of them, per Pacy's match stats.
The finishing told the story. Only three of Troyes' 15 shots were on target, and de Lange saved all three. Marseille scored with both of their shots on target. Marseille's control came through passing: 572 of 640 passes found a teammate, against 281 of 350 for Troyes, and they made 31 clearances to Troyes' 15.
| Stat | Troyes | Marseille |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 36.6% | 63.4% |
| Shots (on goal) | 15 (3) | 5 (2) |
| Accurate passes | 281 of 350 | 572 of 640 |
| Accurate crosses | 11 of 27 | 3 of 14 |
| Tackles (effective) | 17 (9) | 14 (11) |
| Interceptions | 10 | 8 |
| Clearances | 15 | 31 |
| Corner kicks | 6 | 3 |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
| Fouls | 14 | 15 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 1 |
Source: Pacy's match stats.
Individually, Adrien Monfray had three shots, 56 accurate passes and 10 interceptions for Troyes. For Marseille, CJ Egan-Riley completed 117 accurate passes, Nayef Aguerd made 13 interceptions, and Abdelli had two shots as well as the penalty.
Where the two sides stand
After this round both sides have played six league games. Pacy's standings have Marseille 13th on six points, from two wins and four defeats, with a goal difference of +1. Troyes are 17th on four points, from one win, one draw and four defeats, with a goal difference of -9. AS Monaco lead on 14 points, with Lille and Stade Rennais on 13.
The win lifts Marseille from a difficult start. AfricaSoccer reported, citing L'Equipe, that Marseille were 17th in Ligue 1 before the trip, had several injuries, had lost a friendly to Montpellier during the international break and faced eight matches in under a month, including Europa League games against Besiktas and Olympiacos. The same report said Harit had resumed training after being forced off in the home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on 20 September.
Troyes' previous four results on Pacy's record were a 2-1 win at Lorient on 29 August, then three defeats: 2-6 at home to Strasbourg on 6 September, 0-2 at Lille on 13 September and 0-2 at Angers on 19 September. Across those four games they scored four goals and conceded 11, and this defeat makes it four in a row.