Marseille and Nice shared the spoils in a thrilling encounter at the Orange Vélodrome, with Elye Wahi's late penalty rescuing a point for the visitors after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had given the hosts the lead.
Marseille entered the match as heavy favorites. The home side occupied sixth place with 55 points from 31 games, while Nice sat 15th with just 29 points. Marseille's recent form showed promise with wins and draws mixed through their last five outings. Nice, meanwhile, had won just one of their last five matches and desperately needed points to climb away from the relegation zone.
The first half unfolded as a display of Marseille's dominance. The hosts controlled possession with 69 percent of the ball and created numerous chances. However, they struggled to convert their opportunities into goals. Nice set up defensively and looked to exploit space on the counter-attack.
Disciplinary issues emerged early. Emerson received a yellow card in the 29th minute for Marseille. Later, both Elye Wahi and Fabián Medina picked up bookings in the 44th minute. Despite the physical nature of the contest, neither team broke the deadlock before the interval.
The second half saw Marseille finally translate their pressure into a goal. In the 66th minute, Hojbjerg struck decisively to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. The midfielder's finish came after sustained attacking play from the Ligue 1 side. Marseille appeared set to secure all three points.
Nice, however, refused to surrender. The away side pushed forward in search of an equalizer. Their persistence paid off dramatically in the 88th minute when Wahi was brought down in the box. The referee pointed to the spot immediately.
Wahi stepped up to take the penalty and converted with composure. His successful strike from 12 yards leveled the match at 1-1. The goal proved decisive, as neither team could find a winner in the remaining moments. Timothy Weah received a yellow card late on, followed by goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli in the 87th minute.
The statistics illustrated Marseille's control throughout. They registered 21 total shots compared to Nice's five. Marseille's expected goals stood at 1.83 against Nice's 1.35. The hosts' passing accuracy reached 88 percent, with 573 successful passes from 653 attempts. Nice's goalkeeper made five crucial saves to keep his team in the contest.
Hojbjerg earned a rating of 8.3 for his all-action display. The midfielder provided three key passes alongside his crucial goal. Weah contributed 7.9 rating with solid defensive work. For Nice, Wahi's late intervention proved vital despite his modest rating of 6.9.
This draw leaves Marseille on 56 points from 32 games, still in sixth place. Nice climbs to 30 points from 32 matches, though they remain in the bottom half. Marseille will feel frustrated not to convert their dominance into victory. Nice, conversely, will take confidence from their comeback resilience.
Both teams face crucial fixtures ahead. Marseille must maintain their push for European qualification. Nice needs consistent results to escape relegation danger.
