Marseille clinched a 0‑1 victory on Bayer Leverkusen’s turf Thursday night, finally earning their first Europa League point after three defeats. Could this spark a turnaround?
The breakthrough arrived in the 77th minute when Amine Gouiri unleashed a flash of brilliance, lifting the Olympians to their inaugural season win in the competition. The Algerian international, with 28 caps and 11 goals, will soon join the Fennecs against Togo in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, delighting many fans.
The brilliance of Gouiri: acceleration, hold‑up, curl, thunderous strike.
From midfield on the left flank, Gouiri capitalised on a sloppy tackle by Aleix Garcia, surged forward and entered the box. At the edge he out‑muscled Edmond Tapsoba, curled a powerful right‑footed shot that slipped past Mark Flekken into the far corner (0‑1, 77’).
“I go in and don’t overthink, I just finish,” he said. Expect his impact to grow as Marseille chase European qualification.
After the final whistle, Canal+ asked the match’s sole scorer about his strike and the team’s overall display in Germany. “It was the 1‑0 goal, there were 15 minutes left. It felt great. … We made a solid exit, I stayed wide, then I went in and didn’t overthink, I just finished. We knew we’d have space to play. We performed well against a strong side, held on till the end, stayed compact. Overall a good match, we enjoyed it, stuck to the plan, even in duels.” In my view, his calm finish was the turning point.
In the post‑match press conference, Bruno Genesio praised his squad’s performance, eager to ride the momentum back to Ligue 1 and the Champions League. “We’ve flipped the dynamic, but work remains. The points boost us financially and we still have four games, three at home, giving us every chance to finish in the top 24. Tonight I also want to keep expectations in check. I know there’s more to fix, yet it’s refreshing to see such control.”