Marseille Vs Lyon: Aubameyang’s late double seals 3-2 Vélodrome comeback
Olympique de Marseille overturned a 1-2 deficit to beat Olympique Lyonnais 3-2 at the Stade Vélodrome in the 24th round, a result that matters because it moves Marseille to within two points of Lyon and hands Habib Beye his first victory at the stadium. The match swung wildly: Lyon led early, Marseille rallied through a second-half revival and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed a stoppage-time brace.
Habib Beye and the Vélodrome debut
It was the first appearance of new coach Habib Beye at the Stade Vélodrome and his team delivered a dramatic win. Marseille entered having not won in four Ligue 1 matches and stood fourth in the table; a victory reduced the gap to Lyon, who sit third, to two points after the 24th round. The season had already seen volatile moments for Beye: the fans’ infamous chant "Mouille le maillot ou casse-toi" was recalled in the stands, a refrain first heard at Brest on 20 February when he sat on the bench for that match.
Early control and Endrick’s pass for Corentin Tolisso
Lyon dominated the opening phase. Endrick played the cross-field pass that pierced Marseille’s defense and Corentin Tolisso converted in the 3rd minute to make it 0-1. Emerson lost possession in the build-up, a miscue that set the tone for Marseille’s early defensive woes. Mason Greenwood threatened twice in rapid succession—shots at the 9th and 14th minutes—that required intervention from Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif.
VAR decision, Geronimo Rulli and a Paixão revival
Moments that might have sealed the match instead kept it alive. Tolisso appeared to score a second time around the 50th minute, but the goal was annulled by VAR for offside. Shortly after, Igor Paixão, introduced at half-time for Quinten Timber—who left the field at 46 minutes with a shoulder injury—restored parity with a curling strike into the far corner in the 52nd minute to make it 1-1. Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli had earlier kept OM in the game with a left-arm stop on Roman Iaremtchouk in the long first-half time added, at 45+7.
Rémi Himbert, Emerson errors and the turning point
Despite the equaliser, Lyon regained the lead when Rémi Himbert converted in the 76th minute to put OL ahead 1-2. Emerson’s misplaced pass again contributed to Marseille’s precarious position. The prospect of another defeat would have pushed Marseille into a deep gap: a loss could have left them eight points behind Lyon at the end of the winter, a scenario the home side narrowly avoided.
Marseille’s bench impact: Igor Paixão and Ethan Nwaneri
What makes this notable is how substitutions reshaped the final half-hour. Igor Paixão, the second-half substitute, created the second equaliser, teeing up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the 81st-minute goal that levelled the score at 2-2. Later, Ethan Nwaneri contributed to the decisive action that allowed Aubameyang to score again in stoppage time (90+1), completing his brace and delivering the 3-2 winner. The turnover of personnel reversed the game’s momentum and left Lyon without a late response.
