Auxerre delivered a stunning 3-0 victory over Marseille, Ligue 1’s second-placed side, in their latest clash on Saturday night.
The Burgundy-based club had gone ten games without a win, with their last triumph dating back nearly three months to November 24 against Angers.
For Marseille, which had been displaying an impressive attacking style in recent weeks, this defeat marks an unexpected setback.
Roberto De Zerbi’s team struggled to find creativity and never really found a way through Auxerre’s resilient defense. At the final whistle, some Marseille players voiced their frustrations to referee Jérémy Stinat, who had become the focal point of their discontent.
Despite dominating possession (78%) in the first half, Marseille only came close to scoring once, when Quentin Merlin struck the post in the 16th minute.
Meanwhile, Auxerre showed great determination to disrupt their opponents and was rewarded with a brilliant goal from Gaëtan Perrin in the 35th minute.
The 28-year-old forward left Merlin trailing with a skillful feint before cutting inside and curling a stunning shot into the top corner past Gerónimo Rulli. It was his eighth goal of the season, making it his best-ever campaign.
A chaotic first half and Djibril Cissé’s intervention
As the first half neared its end, tensions flared. Merlin appealed for a penalty, but Auxerre immediately launched a counterattack that saw Canadian forward Thelonius Bair score what appeared to be the second goal (45+2’).
However, VAR intervened and ruled it out for an offside by the assisting player, Hamed Traoré.
The atmosphere in the stadium was already heated, with clashes reported between supporters before the match.
The threat of an interruption loomed due to offensive chants, prompting stadium officials to issue two warnings over the PA system.
As tensions mounted, club legend Djibril Cissé stepped in at halftime to address the Auxerre fans, urging them to calm down.
VAR controversies and Marseille’s frustration
VAR continued to play a significant role in the second half. Amine Gouiri thought he had equalized after receiving a pass from Luis Henrique, but the goal was disallowed for an offside by the Brazilian (51’).
Moments later, Gouiri had another opportunity but was denied by goalkeeper Donovan Leon (56’). Marseille’s frustrations reached a boiling point when Derek Cornelius was sent off with a second yellow card in the 61st minute.
On the sidelines, De Zerbi was visibly furious, while club president Pablo Longoria even left the VIP tribune to confront officials in the tunnel.
Given Marseille’s ongoing grievances with refereeing decisions in recent weeks, this latest controversy is unlikely to ease tensions between the club and Ligue 1 officials.
Auxerre seals the win in emphatic fashion
Despite being a man down, Marseille continued pressing forward but left themselves vulnerable to counterattacks. One such break saw Lassine Sinayoko brought down by Rulli in the box, leading to a penalty.
Auxerre’s captain, Brazilian defender Jubal, calmly converted from the spot to make it 2-0 in the 77th minute.
Jubal then put the game completely out of reach in the 90th minute, heading home a corner from Perrin to score his second goal of the night and his fifth of the season.
The Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps erupted in celebration as Auxerre secured a commanding victory over Marseille.
