Marseille left Istanbul with the noise of Besiktas still ringing in their ears and another warning before Sunday’s meeting with Paris Saint-Germain. A promising opening half dissolved after the interval as OM were beaten 4-1 in their first Europa League match.
Bruno Genesio rotated his side for the trip to a hostile Besiktas stadium, with the PSG fixture at 20:45 on Sunday only three days away. Yet the reshaped Marseille team initially responded well despite arriving on the back of three straight Ligue 1 defeats.
Quick facts
- Besiktas defeated Marseille 4-1 in Istanbul in the Europa League.
- Ilhan Fakili opened the scoring in the 16th minute after combining with Junior Olaitan.
- Keyliane Abdallah levelled for OM on 30 minutes.
- Besiktas struck three times after the break through Vaclav Cerny, Amir Murillo and Ernest Poku.
- Marseille face Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday at 20:45.
Besiktas made their early pressure count in the 16th minute. Fakili completed a lengthy one-two with Junior Olaitan before finishing to put the home side ahead.
Alexander Nübel had already stopped an Abdallah attempt in the 12th minute, but Marseille’s forward kept finding openings. His equaliser on the half-hour was helped by Emmanuel Agbadou’s defensive positioning and a hesitant intervention from Nübel, who failed to deal convincingly with the situation.
At 1-1, OM had given themselves a platform and appeared capable of taking something from the match. Abdallah continued to offer a threat, while Marseille showed more determination than their recent domestic run had suggested.
The second half changed the picture quickly. Ulisses Garcia allowed Vaclav Cerny too much room and the Besiktas player restored the Turkish club’s lead in the 56th minute.
Garcia was taken off soon afterwards, alongside Angel Gomes. Three minutes after Cerny’s goal, Marseille’s former right-back Amir Murillo made it 3-1, rising comfortably above CJ Egan-Riley to score against his old club.
Murillo, the Panamanian international, had left Marseille in January following Roberto De Zerbi’s decision. His goal exposed a side that could no longer create danger at the other end.
Genesio turned to regular starters Igor Paixao, Nayef Aguerd and Amine Gouiri, but the substitutions did not change the course of the night. Ernest Poku added a fourth in the 81st minute, further compounding a difficult evening for goalkeeper Jeffrey De Lange.
Marseille’s Europa League campaign has therefore begun in the same uneven fashion as their Ligue 1 season: encouragement before the break, then clear limitations under pressure. The trip to Besiktas leaves Genesio with little time to repair confidence before PSG arrive on Sunday.
