PSG edge 10-man Marseille in dramatic Le Classique victory

Paris Saint-Germain secured a 2-1 victory over Marseille at the Velodrome on Sunday to claim the honours in Le Classique, with Ferran Torres and captain Marquinhos scoring in a dramatic second half.

Luis Enrique’s team controlled much of the opening period but could not find a breakthrough until the 66th minute. Desire Doue delivered a superb cross into the penalty area, where Torres rose highest to head past Marseille goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange.

The goal continued the Spaniard’s impressive start in Paris, taking his tally to seven goals in six appearances for PSG.

“I’m really happy. I just wanted to win this game for the fans, for our supporters, who couldn’t be here,” Torres told PSG TV. “This win is for them.”

Marseille responded six minutes later when Angel Gomes restored parity. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won possession before Amine Gouiri created the opening for Gomes, who finished well to score his first Ligue 1 goal since November.

The home side’s equaliser lasted only two minutes. Nuno Mendes sent a dangerous ball into the box and Marquinhos reacted quickest, sweeping the loose ball into the net to put PSG back in front.

“It’s always a pleasure to win here,” Marquinhos said. “When you come here and win, it’s so good, regardless of whether it was close or not.”

Marseille’s task became tougher when Timothy Weah, a former PSG academy player, was shown a second yellow card for pulling down Mendes and was sent off.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Marseille had opportunities to claim a point. Nayef Aguerd headed wide in stoppage time, while De Lange denied Mendes as PSG pushed for a third goal.

The result was only PSG’s second Ligue 1 victory of the season. Marseille, meanwhile, suffered a fourth consecutive league defeat and dropped into the relegation zone.

Enrique was satisfied with his side’s response after a subdued first-half display.

“Le Classique is tiring, but I’m very happy,” the PSG manager said. “Today, we again saw how tough it is to play in Le Classique, especially at the Velodrome.

“The second half was much better than the first. We tried to improve on our first-half display and to create a lot of chances. We managed to do so, and we’re really happy to get these three points, which we know are important to our fans.”

Marquinhos said the importance of the fixture meant the result mattered above all else.

“As we often say, you don’t play Le Classique, you win it, be it here or at home, and we’re really happy to have won this game,” he said.