Mass brawl mars Olympique Marseille's rare win at PSG

PARIS: Olympique Marseille earned a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain after forward Florian Thauvin struck in the 31st minute of a pulsating though ill-tempered match at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Littered with fouls throughout, the clash boiled over in the last minute of stoppage time with referee Jerome Brisard sending off five players after a full scale brawl broke out on the pitch.

Paris Saint Germain's Neymar, Laywin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes as well as Marseille's duo of Dario Benedetto and Jordan Amavi were given their marching orders after rival players threw punches and kicks at each other.

But it did not bother Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas after the 1993 European Cup winners celebrated their first league win against PSG since November 2011.

"A tough and important win as well as a historic one," Villas-Boas told reporters after his side condemned last season's Champions League runners-up to a second successive defeat following a 1-0 opening day setback at Lens.

"We struggled to cope with PSG's early pressure because they are very good at it, but we found a way to grind out a great victory. It wasn't pretty and we suffered."

Thauvin scored against the run of play, steering in a Dimitri Payet free kick inside the near post from close range after the home side had come close through Marco Verratti and Neymar, who also missed a pair of chances in the second half.

Missing several first-team regulars who had contracted the COVID-19 virus, PSG pressed hard in the closing stages but Marseille's rugged defence held firm.

PSG sports director Leonardo, a former World Cup winner with Brazil, criticised the referee's actions. "A total of 14 cards were brandished and five of them were red, which means the match got out of control," Leonardo told the Telefoot television channel.

"(Brisard) lost his head. He officiated the League Cup final but he doesn't have the experience for this kind of fixture."

After the match, Neymar tweeted: "My only regret is not hitting him in the face."

Minutes later, he came up with another tweet, saying: "VAR catching my "aggression" is easy, now I want to see the image of the racist calling me a monkey, that I want to see! What's up? REEL u punish me, CASCUDO I am expelled, what about them? What's up."

After the match, Villas-Boas defended his player Gonzalez as he accused Angel Di Maria of spitting at one of his players. "Alvaro is an experienced player. There is no room for racism in football, but I don't think that's it. Neymar was a little annoyed by this situation at the end of the match. I hope that will not distract from this victory. We also have Di Maria who spat on one of our players. It was a Clasico and we must remember this historic victory for OM," Goal.com quoted Boas as saying. Agencies

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