At La Mosson, Marseille found the final touch missing on Saturday night as Montpellier held them to a 0-0 draw in the third round of Arkema Première Ligue.
The Ligue 1 news
Marseille dropped their first points of the campaign after opening the season with two victories, beating Le Havre 1-0 before overcoming Lens 2-1.
The visitors controlled much of the contest against a Montpellier side that had only 33% possession and did not register a shot on target. But Marseille could not turn their dominance into a breakthrough.
The clearest late opening came in the 87th minute. Claire Lavogez’s control inside the box was not clean enough, and Alexis Missimo’s ensuing attempt lacked the pace to trouble Montpellier.
It was Marseille’s first setback in the league, although the point keeps them third in the table. Their strong opening has underlined their potential to challenge for a place in the top four.
OL Lyonnes and Paris Saint-Germain remain ahead of them, with both sides the only teams to have won each of their first three league fixtures.
