Ferran Torres continued his sensational start to life at Paris Saint-Germain as the Spanish forward scored again to help the French champions defeat bitter rivals Marseille 2-1 in a dramatic Ligue 1 clash.
The victory at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday saw PSG claim bragging rights in another edition of Le Classique, while Marseille’s difficult start to the season deepened.
Torres came off the bench shortly before the hour mark and made an immediate impact, heading home Désiré Doué’s cross in the 66th minute to give PSG the lead.
The goal took the Spaniard’s tally to seven goals in six appearances for PSG since joining the club from Barcelona. He has started only three of those matches.
Marseille responded six minutes later when Angel Gomes collected Amine Gouiri’s pass inside the penalty area before cutting inside and firing past PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to make it 1-1.
The hosts’ celebrations were short-lived, however.
Just two minutes later, PSG captain Marquinhos restored the visitors’ advantage. The Brazilian defender met Nuno Mendes’ cross, saw his first effort saved by goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange and reacted quickly to convert the rebound.
Marseille’s hopes of finding another equaliser suffered another blow when captain Timothy Weah was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
With Marseille reduced to 10 men, PSG held on to secure a 2-1 victory and climb to sixth place with eight points after five league matches. Marseille dropped to 17th, with only three points from their opening five games.
Marseille’s worrying run continues
The defeat extended Marseille’s poor run to five consecutive losses in all competitions, including four straight defeats in Ligue 1.
The club also suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Besiktas in the Europa League last week, leaving new manager Bruno Genesio under increasing pressure to turn around the team’s fortunes.
PSG, meanwhile, have recovered from a slow start to the league campaign with consecutive victories and now sit five points behind leaders Monaco.
For Torres, the latest goal further underlined his impressive beginning in Paris. After arriving from Barcelona, he has quickly established himself as a major attacking threat and has already become one of the key talking points surrounding PSG’s early-season campaign.
