Marseille’s Title Aspirations Diminished After Defeat to Ruthless Reims

Stade de Reims showcased their finest performance of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, securing a convincing 3-1 victory over Marseille, which is a substantial boost in their battle to steer clear of relegation as the season progresses.

Despite being the away team, Marseille established an early presence in Reims’ territory, with Mason Greenwood standing out as their most potent threat.

The English forward came close to opening the scoring on two occasions within the first 20 minutes, with his best effort arriving just before the 30-minute mark; his right-foot shot from a narrow angle just missed Yehvann Diouf’s right post.

However, against the run of play, Reims struck first in the 29th minute when Keito Nakamura manoeuvred within the box to unleash a stunning shot past Geronimo Rulli, which the goalkeeper was unable to stop.

Even after trailing, Marseille continued to press forward. Unfortunately for them, their efforts, including a header from Adrien Rabiot and a late penalty call in stoppage time, failed to create significant threats on Diouf’s goal, allowing Reims to go into halftime with a surprising advantage.

As the second half kicked off, Marseille continued to push high up the pitch, but this approach backfired quickly as Reims capitalised on a swift counterattack to double their advantage. Nakamura again played a crucial role, delivering a precise through ball to Mamadou Diakhon, who calmly slotted past Rulli.

The second goal left Marseille reeling, and Reims took full advantage by extending their lead further with another break, this time orchestrated by Valentin Atangana Edoa.

Marseille did manage to score through Valentin Rongier late in the match, but it was too little, too late to mount a genuine comeback.

Clearly, Reims required a positive result to gain crucial breathing space in the relegation battle, and this 3-1 victory provides a significant boost to their survival hopes as they break a 15-match winless streak in style.

On the flip side, Marseille squandered a golden opportunity to close the gap with PSG at the top of the table, potentially giving the Parisians the chance to clinch the title later that day if other results favoured them.