Liam Rosenior’s hosts have shown they can mix it with the division’s elite already this term, netting exactly three times against Lyon, Lille and Rennes. It was therefore no surprise to see Le Racing showing plenty of attacking intent in the early stages, with Dilane Bakwa twice threatening an opener inside the first 15 minutes.
Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli stood firm, just as he did to deny Sebastian Nanasi and Emanuel Emegha, with the latter also heading over from a promising position.
Tension grew in the home crowd as they began to fear the consequences of missing so many chances, but much to their relief, Strasbourg got the breakthrough their play deserved five minutes before the interval. A swift attack saw Nanasi release the overlapping Diego Moreira down the left, and the full-back powered a low shot through Rulli to score for the first time this season.
The visitors were made to wait until the stroke of half-time for a shot on target, but even then, Djorde Petrovic comfortably denied Mason Greenwood to ensure the hosts were up at the break.
Such a toothless first-half display would’ve been a surprise to Roberto De Zerbi, whose side’s 15 goals after five league games was their highest such total since 1954/55. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the Strasbourg stopper was a busier man following the restart, making a stunning low stop to thwart Greenwood before smothering substitute Neal Maupay’s effort at the near post.
Strasbourg prepared for a Marseille onslaught in the closing stages, but the visitors never managed to sustain their attacks, and as a result, the hosts held on to a win which took them into the top half of the table.
Their first win over Marseille since 2005 was also their 1000th on their own turf in all competitions. De Zerbi’s men suffered defeat for the first time under his stewardship, as they missed out on the chance to open a Ligue 1 campaign with four consecutive away wins for the first time ever.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sebastian Nanasi (Strasbourg)
