Marseille kicked off the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season with a commanding 4-0 victory against a struggling Strasbourg, featuring goals from Amine Gouiri, Keyliane Abdallah, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

THE MATCH

The season opener at the Vélodrome took place amidst significant transitions for both teams. Marseille faced financial challenges that required player sales, while Strasbourg also saw notable changes, including a new manager, Hugo Oliveira. Both teams entered the match with a sense of anticipation. Marseille capitalized on their home advantage, pressuring Strasbourg’s defense from the outset.

Marseille nearly capitalized on some careless passing by Strasbourg early in the match. Angel Gomes found himself in key positions, but his first attempt was blocked, and he mishit the second, shooting wide after a defensive mishap from Strasbourg. The home side continued to threaten, with Gomes involved in another close encounter that resulted in a save by Jorgensen. Meanwhile, Strasbourg attempted to counter but failed to create danger, highlighted by a wayward shot from Amo-Ameyaw that sailed over the bar. Amine Harit also came close for Marseille, but his shot was deflected onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Jorgensen.

Marseille carried their momentum into the second half. Igor Paixao’s run down the right set up Angel Gomes, who delivered a perfect assist to Amine Gouiri for the opening goal just after the break (46′). A pivotal moment in the match occurred when Samir El Mourabet was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Højbjerg following a VAR review.

Strasbourg struggled to maintain their composure, leading to another review by VAR after Guela Doué fouled Paixao, resulting in a penalty for Marseille. Gouiri confidently converted the penalty to double the lead. Soon after, substitute Keyliane Abdallah made an immediate impact, scoring his first Ligue 1 goal for Marseille with a well-placed shot past Jorgensen. The scoring was capped off when Højbjerg executed a stunning volley from the edge of the box, rounding off a strong performance and securing the first three points for manager Bruno Genesio.

OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYER RATINGS

Jeffrey De Lange – 6
A solid debut as the starting goalkeeper, making several crucial saves in the first half.

CJ Egan-Riley – 6
Displayed a strong performance alongside Kondogbia, effectively controlling the backline.

Geoffrey Kondogbia – 5
Emerson Palmieri – 5
Timothy Weah – 5

Angel Gomes – 6
Made a promising return, playing a key role in the offensive midfield and stood out in duels.

Himad Abdelli – 5
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6
Amine Harit – 5
Igor Paixao – 6
Integral in creating spaces, crucial in the build-up to the first goal.

Amine Gouiri – 7
Opened his season account and currently leads the league in goals after the first match.

RACING CLUB DE STRASBOURG PLAYER RATINGS

Filip Jörgensen – 3
Genesis Antwi – 4
Andrew Omaobamidele – 5
Guéla Doué – 3
Struggled defensively, conceding a penalty and failing to contain Marseille’s buildup.

Lucas Hogbsberg – 4
Diogo De Sousa – 4
Samir El Mourabet – 2
Sent off for a reckless foul, marking a challenging evening for Racing.

Samuel Amo-Ameyaw – 3
Sekou Mara – 4

Marseille opened the 2026-2027 season with a convincing win, sweeping aside a poor Strasbourg side 4-0 thanks to goals from Amine Gouiri, Keyliane Abdallah, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. THE MATCH

It’s been a widely transitional summer for both sides that kicked off the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season at the Vélodrome on Friday evening. Marseille have had to sell because of financial restraints whilst player turnover has also been high for the arriving Strasbourg side also with a new manager in Hugo Oliveira. That sense of anticipation for the season bled into the opening minutes, but OM better harnessed the home advantage and a raucous Vélodrome crowd. Les Olympiens harassed the Strasbourg backline, pressing high and suffocating the Alsace side of possession early on.

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Twice OM almost pounced on some lax passing out the back, and Angel Gomes twice found himself in two promising positions to strike on goal. The first was blocked, the second he should have done better when he dragged wide of the post after latching onto a weak clearance from the Alsacien defence. More chances came OM’s way with Gomes once again at the centre of a goal-mouth scramble having his shot saved by Jorgensen, with Højbjerg unable to finally stab home on the rebound. After a quiet period, Strasbourg looked to hit on the counter, but a shot wildly whipped over the bar by Amo-Ameyaw did nothing to test the hosts. Amine Harit then came closer for Marseille, his well-taken strike had to be parried onto the bar by Jorgenson.

Les Olympiens brought that momentum into the second period. Igor Paixao’s run down the right cut into space for Angel Gomes to run, and the Englishman set up Amine Gouiri with a perfect ball for the Algerian to sweep home the opener (46′). A big turning point would come later in the second period when Samir El Mourabet was caught out with an ill-judged swipe at Pierre-Emile Højbjerg with his right foot which was picked up by VAR and punished with a straight red after Ruddy Bouquet consulted the screen.

A clumsy foul from Guela Doué on Igor Paixao saw the referee go once again to the screen, and this time it led to a penalty for the hosts. Amine Gouiri stepped up to convert convincingly, but there was much more to come. Keyliane Abdallah would come on for his fourth appearance for OM, and it took just a few minutes to make an instant impact with a lovely finish past Jörgensen, cueing big celebrations from the 20-year-old for his first ever goal in Ligue 1 and for Marseille. The night would get even better when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg popped up on the edge of the box with a sumptuous volley to finish off the affair and a first three points for Bruno Genesio as Marseille manager.OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYER RATINGS 

Jeffrey De Lange – 6A solid first outing as number one for the Dutch keeper, who has in truth, always deputised well for Geronimo Rulli between the sticks. Made a few solid saves in the opening period. 

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CJ Egan-Riley – 6A solid opening period from the Englishman, who looked comfortable at the back alongside Kondogbia in a back four. Seems athletically apt, and kept Sekou Mara quiet for much of the opening phase of play.

Geoffrey Kondogbia – 5Emerson Palmieri – 5Timothy Weah – 5

Angel Gomes – 6A promising return to the Vélodrome for the Englishman, who played just behind Amine Gouiri in an offensive midfield position. He won the most duels of any player during the first period, and got himself into some great goal-scoring positionsHimad Abdelli – 5Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6Amine Harit – 5Igor Paixao – 6

With the departure of Mason Greenwood, the Brazilian now holds the mantle as OM’s most dangerous attacking threat. He was effective on that right side, twisting Guela Doué inside out for most of the first period. It was the Brazilian who set up Angel Gomes and made the space for the first Marseille goal.Amine Gouiri – 7A magnificent start to the season for the Algerian, who kicks off the season technically as the league’s top scorer with one game played (before everyone else plays this weekend). His movement looks sharp, he was strong physically when holding up the ball, and most importantly had the killer finish when it mattered. He is certainly a player that Bruno Génésio would be desperate to keep hold of before the end of the window, but that much is not certain. 

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RACING CLUB DE STRASBOURG PLAYER RATINGS

Filip Jörgensen – 3Genesis Antwi – 4Andrew Omaobamidele – 5Guéla Doué – 3

The Ivorian struggled against Igor Paixao all game, and left too much space for the Brazilian to find Angel Gomes in the build up to the opening goal. He then gave away the penalty for the second OM goal, with a clumsy late challenge on Paixao Lucas Hogbsberg – 4Diogo De Sousa – 4Samir El Mourabet – 2

The Moroccan’s evening was pretty much summed up by the red card offense, a petulant swipe out on Pierre-Emile Højbjerg which was caught by VAR. It was a mistake that proved costly for Racing, who just didn’t look at all like getting back into the game.Samuel Amo-Ameyaw – 3Sekou Mara – 4

Sebastian Nanasi – 5Gessime Yassine – 4GFFN | George Boxall – reporting from the Stade Vélodrome, Marseille.