Marseille Defeats PSG in Dramatic Ligue 1 Clash
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain suffered a surprising defeat in their hastily re-arranged Ligue 1 match against Marseille, which concluded with home manager Roberto de Zerbi receiving a red card in stoppage time.
Former West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd's fifth-minute header secured the victory for Marseille in a match that had been postponed by a day due to forecasts of severe weather.
This marked PSG's first Ligue 1 loss of the season.
“We are not used to losing games,” remarked PSG head coach Luis Enrique, who was named Coach of the Year at the Ballon d'Or awards taking place simultaneously with the match.
The French champions were also missing injured forward Ousmane Dembélé, who remained in Paris to attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony, where he won the prestigious men's award.
Marseille started the match strongly, with Aguerd heading in at the far post after PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier misjudged Mason Greenwood's cross.
As PSG sought to equalize, Marseille nearly extended their lead when Amine Gouiri struck the crossbar.
Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli made several crucial saves, including a sharp stop from Achraf Hakimi, while PSG striker Gonçalo Ramos missed a golden opportunity to level the score after halftime.
As tensions escalated in the closing minutes, De Zerbi was sent off in stoppage time.
Marseille currently sits sixth in the league standings with nine points from five games, while PSG is in second place with 12 points.