Ferran Torres fires PSG to Classique win over crisis-hit Marseille

Paris Saint-Germain kept repairing their Ligue 1 form with a 2-1 victory over Marseille in Le Classique at the Stade Vélodrome on Saturday. Ferran Torres, named player of the match, needed just six minutes on the pitch to open the scoring after coming on as a substitute and registered his seventh goal in six appearances for the Parisians since leaving Barcelona. Captain Marquinhos then struck the decisive blow as Marseille fell to a fifth consecutive defeat.

• Ferran Torres scored his fourth Ligue 1 goal just six minutes after replacing Kvaratskhelia.
• Marquinhos completed the 2-1 comeback three minutes after Marseille had equalised through Angel Gomes.
• Marseille have now lost five straight matches and drop to second bottom in the table.
• Luis Enrique fielded the same starting XI from the last two Champions League finals, with the injured Achraf Hakimi missing.
• PSG climb to sixth place, five points behind leaders Monaco.

Ferran Torres strikes again after coming off the bench

Luis Enrique trusted his proven core and named the same side that started the last two Champions League finals. The only enforced change came at right-back, where Warren Zaïre-Emery deputised for the injured Achraf Hakimi. Ferran Torres was left on the bench despite arriving at the Classique with four goals in his previous two matches.

The Spanish coach turned to his bench after an hour and brought Ferran Torres on for Kvaratskhelia. The response was immediate: within six minutes the Valencian headed home a left-footed cross from Désiré Doué, arriving late between CJ Egan-Riley and Nayef Aguerd. He almost added a second soon afterwards with a strike saved by Jeffrey De Lange, but his contribution had already broken the game open.

Marquinhos seals the comeback with another vital goal

Marseille found a surprising equaliser from their first meaningful attack of the second half. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won the ball in midfield, launched a counter-attack through Amine Gouiri and released Angel Gomes, who cut inside Willian Pacho and beat Matvey Safonov with a firm finish. The Vélodrome erupted, but the home side's joy lasted only three minutes.

Nuno Mendes swung in a cross from the left and Marquinhos, rebounding after De Lange had denied his first effort, forced the ball over the line for the 2-1. The Brazilian centre-back delivered another key goal for his team, just as he had done with the 2-2 equaliser at Lille on matchday two. His close-range finish sealed a match PSG ended in full control.

Marseille hit rock bottom with five defeats in a row

Bruno Genesio's side arrived at the Classique with confidence shattered after four straight losses, the latest a painful 4-1 defeat to Besiktas in the Europa League. They produced an improved display against PSG and competed for long stretches, with a tight first half offering almost no clear chances for either team. Yet that response was not enough to stop the slide.

Tim Weah's red card, a second yellow for a foul on Nuno Mendes, finished off an already fading Marseille. PSG piled up chance after chance and could have extended their lead, while Nayef Aguerd's late header that drifted wide was the only real scare for the visitors. The defeat leaves Marseille with just three points, all collected on the opening weekend, and down in second-bottom place.

What this result means for the Ligue 1 table

Victory in Le Classique lifts PSG to sixth place and gives them a platform to push on in the championship. The Parisians now sit five points behind leaders Monaco and remain firmly in the title conversation. Winning in such a demanding stadium strengthens the sense that their slow start to the domestic season is fading into the past.

Marseille, by contrast, are staring into the abyss. With only one win on the opening weekend and five consecutive defeats since, Bruno Genesio's position as head coach is under serious threat. The run of poor results, combined with the pressure on the project, makes the coming rounds a decisive test for the Frenchman.