In Marseille, a first breath of relief arrived on the road at Troyes. After four consecutive league defeats, Marseille found a 2-0 win that changes neither the scale of the season nor the pressure around the club, but does restore some colour to a difficult opening stretch.
The first half at Troyes was closely contested, with neither side able to separate itself. Marseille eventually found the breakthrough after the interval through Amine Harit. The visitors then had to wait until deep into stoppage time for certainty: Hicham Abdelli converted a penalty in the 98th minute to complete the result.
Troyes remain in severe difficulty near the foot of the table. They have four points, two fewer than Marseille, whose victory brought their total to six.
Rennes move into the leading group
Elsewhere in France on Sunday, Rennes produced the most emphatic scoreline of the day, defeating Auxerre 4-1. The result lifted the Breton club to third place on 13 points, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and only one point behind leaders Monaco, who have 14.
Nice also collected an important away-day-style recovery of their own, coming from behind to beat Strasbourg. It was a Sunday that offered contrasting scenes across the country: renewed calm for Marseille, a sharp statement from Rennes, and another reminder for Troyes of the hard ground beneath them.
