Just when you though French sides had decided to numb each other into submission and allow top dogs Lyon to march on as their standard bearer it all came alive last night as match-day three took hold.
Crowds increased as interest rose and those who attended last night saw a bit of fire enter the guts of the sides chasing Lyon...well two of them at least, as Marseille finished their third consecutive away game with a defeat that almost certainly ends their participation in the event in anything other than a run out for the second string in the remaining three home matches.
Marseilles defeat at the Parc des Princes in front of a healthy 11,492 crowd was only remarkable in that it was only 2-0 and not a massacre as the stats suggest...PSG dominated...61% possession and 18 shots on target suggesting that Mandanda had a better game in goal than the meager 4 rating he received from the press corps. Marseille tried to attack down the flanks and were ripped apart down the middle by a PSG side who are slowly starting to show some promise. It was a lesson in football and a harsh one for Marseille to accept but that is what they must now do...one point from nine means little chance now of progression and for some of the fringe players an opportunity must now exist to make a stake in the remaining games for some league starts.
The game was won by half time...strikes by Di Maria in the 20th minute and Luiz in the 37th the deciding factors...Paris St Germain 2...Marseille 0.
In all its inevitability in Paris, what was happening in Lyon was anything but...
Lyon went into the match with Monaco knowing a win would probably see them over the line in the group...but someone hadn't sent the script to Monaco, or if they did it was ripped up and dispatched to the bin quite quickly. Monaco knew that this was their last chance to get in the mix and after a battle of a first half but no breakthrough the home fans were stunned when Gabi put Monaco ahead in the 49th minute...they spat their wine out in the 61st minute when Moutinho then stepped forward to make it 2-0 and suddenly the inevitable Lyon march was looking a bit ropy. Monaco were adventurous, dominated possession and just would not let Lyon get into the match. The Parc OL hadn't seen this much pluck in all its years of existence, in fact had it been the site of an annual bird feather plucking tournament one would doubt the finest of pluckers could have matched up to Monaco last night. Wakaso gave the home fans in the 11,652 crowd some hope with a goal back on 75 minutes but too little too late as the side from the principality held on strongly to blow this group wide open now going into the second half of the round.
Lyon still top the group with 6 points but Monaco on 5 and PSG on 4 are all in the mix, Marseille may have three home matches now but it looks like this battle is a straight 3 way fight and right now its hard to predict which way it will go.
Next Wednesday its Marseille at home to Lyon and PSG entertain Monaco...game on in France....
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