Soccer-Marseille secure 4-0 win over Strasbourg as Ligue 1 gets under way


Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Olympique de Marseille v RC Strasbourg - Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France - August 21, 2026 Olympique de Marseille's Amine Gouiri scores their second goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Manon Cruz

MARSEILLE, France, Aug 21 (Reuters) - ⁠Olympique de Marseille striker Amine Gouiri grabbed a ⁠second-half double to help claim a 4-0 victory ‌over 10-man Racing Strasbourg in Friday's opening match of the Ligue 1 campaign.

The 20-year-old substitute Keyliane Abdallah grabbed the third and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg side-footed ​home from range for a last-gasp ⁠fourth to ensure a ⁠winning start for new coach Bruno Genesio, who took Lille ⁠to ‌second place last season.

Gouiri broke the deadlock two minutes into the second period and added the ⁠second from the penalty spot in the 67th ​minute after the ‌visitors had Samir El-Mourabet sent off.

Marseille’s opener was set ⁠up by ​England international Angel Gomes who teed up Gouiri for a left-footed finish.

El-Mourabet was dismissed in the 59th for kicking out ⁠in frustration after several run-ins with Hojbjerg ​and VAR intervened again to award a penalty for Guela Doue’s challenge on Igor Paixao, allowing Algeria forward Gouirito double ⁠the score.

Abdallah’s left-footed finish came on the stroke of full-time and the one-sided second-half performance was completed when Hojbjerg returned a clearance from the edge of the box into ​the net in the sixth minute ⁠of added time.

Friday’s first fixture of the new league season ​is followed by five matches on ‌Saturday and three on Sunday, ​including defending champions Paris Saint-Germain at Stade Rennais.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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