It took time. Too long, in fact. After a tense, tight and at times downright sluggish match, OM finally found a crack in Auxerre’s defence. A narrow 1-0 win for Marseille, precious and ripped out in the final quarter-hour by Amine Gouiri. Three points that give the Marseille side breathing room in the table… and calm a Velodrome that had been simmering.
A Velodrome tense like you rarely see
The scene was set long before kickoff. Knocked out on penalties by Toulouse in the Cup days earlier, OM returned to a heavy atmosphere. Very heavy.
Hostile banners were up and the stands picked a lethal weapon: silence. Forty-five minutes with no songs. Just whistles and the flat anger of a crowd that expects better from a club chasing a title since 2012.
In that electric air, Habib Beye’s men started with the handbrake on. Plenty of possession, precious few ideas. Greenwood tried to stir things up, but too often he operated too deep to make a real difference.
Auxerre were happy to sit back. Solid shape, solid block. They rode out the storm that, honestly, never arrived in a soporific first half.
Marseille wake up after the break
It took the second half for Marseille to show real intent. The block pushed up, duels got nastier and the home side began winning balls higher up the pitch.
Greenwood first forced Donovan Léon into a smart save with a driven strike, then Hojbjerg almost made something from a corner. Nothing decisive, but it landed a jolt.
For a few minutes Auxerre tried to hit back. Quickly though, OM took control again, prodded on by an Igor Paixão who grew into the game and the renewed energy in the stands.
Gouiri, the super-sub who frees the Velodrome
And then the moment that flips a night.
On as a substitute a little earlier, Amine Gouiri unlocked a match that was drifting towards a frustrating draw. The move began with a quick link-up down the left with Paixão. The Brazilian beats his man, crosses, and the ball drops into the box.
Gouiri appears. Short control. A close-range strike. Donovan Léon could only watch.
AMINE GOUIRI 🇩🇿
Came on a few minutes earlier and the Algerian international delivers for @OM_Officiel and the Velodrome 🔥#OMAJA pic.twitter.com/W9v29QICMq
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) March 13, 2026
The Velodrome erupts. Finally.
A vital three points in the top-four chase
Auxerre thought they had a late equaliser when Okoh hit the net, but their celebrations were short-lived — VAR flagged an obvious hand.
Marseille then survived one last Auxerre push to secure a second straight clean sheet. And, crucially, a third straight Ligue 1 win.
A result that sends OM three points clear of Lyon, who travel to Le Havre on Sunday.
Amine Gouiri savours a hard-fought win
After the game the match-winner didn’t hide his relief. In a night like that, the message was blunt: win.
“We wanted those three points in a difficult atmosphere. The supporters didn’t sing for 45 minutes. We tried to open the game early, but Auxerre defended very deep. In the second half we pushed more and it paid off.”
Clear message. The performance can improve, but Marseille move on.
And sometimes in a season, wins like this are the ones that matter most.
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