Marseille 1-1 Montpellier: Hosts miss a chance to cut PSG’s lead to just four points in Ligue 1 after former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi earned a point for Igor Tudor’s side following Arnaud’s opener nordin for visitors
- A draw for Marseille sees them stuck at 60 points, six behind leaders PSG
- There was a prolonged stoppage when Boubakar Kouyate received medical attention.
- Alexis Sánchez and Matteo Guendouzi top Marseille’s Premier League discards
Marseille missed the chance to put pressure on Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain after being held at home by an in-form Montpellier in a lackluster 1-1 draw on Friday.
Matteo Guendouzi’s first-half penalty was all Marseille had to show to dominate both possession and chances, as the visitors continued their seven-game unbeaten run since the return of Michel Der Zakarian in February.
Marseille’s draw means PSG can move nine points clear on Sunday with a home win over Lyon in their pending game.
The visitors got off to a better start and Arnaud Nordin put Montpellier ahead on 12 minutes, although he had to wait for a VAR review to celebrate after initially being wrongly flagged for offside.
Wahbi Khazri made a good spin to elude Guendouzi and began a run that sucked up four Marseille defenders before passing the ball to Elye Wahi, who sent the ball straight past Nordin for the French striker’s fifth league goal.
Arnaud Nordin opened the scoring for the visitors after some good play by Wahbi Khazri
Matteo Guendouzi leveled the hosts just before half-time with a well-placed penalty
After the draw, PSG remains six points behind Marseille in the race for the Ligue 1 title
There was a long delay in the treatment of Montpellier defender Boubakar Kouyaté after a head clash, and then the defender was stretchered off and replaced by Mamadou Sakho.
Sakho conceded the handball penalty, another VAR call, before half-time, with Guendouzi duly equalizing from the spot in the 44th minute to level the hosts on the cusp of half time.
Marseille went on to have more shots on target, but the biggest chance fell to Khazri midway through the second half when he narrowly swept his shot past the left post.
Marseille coach Igor Tudor sent Dimitri Payet out for the last quarter of an hour, but there was no way to get past Montpellier’s well-organized defence. The Tudor team hasn’t won at home in the league since January.
Montpellier, which was just two points above the relegation zone when ‘Der Zak’ returned, moved 14 points above relegation going into Matchday 29 in the French top flight.
Michel Der Zakarian’s return to Montpellier has brought a seven-match unbeaten run
Montpellier moved 14 points above the relegation zone with a deserved draw in Marseille