Marseille’s Title Hopes Fade Further After Third Consecutive Defeat
Marseille’s bid for a top-three finish in Ligue 1 suffered a major blow on Friday night as they slumped to a third straight defeat, this time against Nantes. A solitary goal from Togolese forward Serge Gakpé condemned Marcelo Bielsa’s side to a 1–0 loss at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
The goal came midway through the first half after a costly defensive error. A misplaced pass from Marseille’s Rod Fanni was seized upon by Gakpé, who then benefited from a slip by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to coolly slot home. It proved to be the only goal of the match and enough to hand the Canaries all three points.
The result leaves Marseille’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League hanging by a thread, with key rivals Monaco, Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain yet to play over the weekend. Positive results for any of those teams could further widen the gap between Marseille and the top three.
Speaking after the match, Cameroon international Nicolas Nkoulou expressed his disappointment.
“They were pressing and we backed down. Unfortunately, events are going against us. For a while now, nothing has been going our way,” said the defender, reflecting on the team’s current slump.
Despite the setback, Nkoulou urged his teammates to stay focused:
“There are still matches to play. We have to digest what happened tonight and still take the positives from it. Now we’re going to look ahead and focus on our goals.”
Marseille now face an uphill battle to get back into European contention, with pressure mounting on Bielsa to find a solution to his side’s faltering form. With just five games left in the season, time is running out for the Phocéens to rediscover the momentum that once had them firmly in the title race.
For Nantes, the win provides a timely morale boost as they look to finish the season on a high. As for Marseille, the road ahead only gets steeper.
