A Legacy In Full
PARIS — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rolled back the years with two late goals as Marseille twice came from behind to beat Lyon 3-2 in a pulsating Ligue 1 game on Sunday.
The 36-year-old striker equalized in the 81st minute with an opportunistic low finish from winger Igor Paixão's looping pass and then slid in for the winner from Ethan Nwaneri's left-wing cross as Stade Velodrome erupted in disbelief.
The record does not need much decoration; it already does the talking.
Lyon had taken the lead through teenage Brazil star Endrick in the third minute, the forward expertly setting up midfielder Corentin Tolisso to clip a fine shot past goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from 10 meters out. Endrick nearly added a second moments later with an overhead kick and needed treatment after hitting the right side of his head when he landed.
Marseille thought they had a goal ruled out for offside before Paixão equalized in the 52nd with a brilliant curler from the left edge of the penalty area into the top right corner.
The drama was not done. Lyon teenager Rémi Himbert netted his first career goal in the 76th minute to restore the visitors' lead. But Aubameyang, who made his name with prolific spells at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, had the last word.
The Numbers That Last
It was a second straight defeat for third-place Lyon, which saw its 13-game winning run come to an end last weekend and is only two points ahead of fourth-place Marseille with 10 games left.
Newly appointed Marseille coach Habib Beye, who played for the club as a right back from 2003-07, watched his side carelessly lose the ball on the left flank for the opening goal and nearly paid for it.
The first half produced eight minutes of stoppage time because of the thudding challenges, with Mason Greenwood also missing several gilt-edged chances for Marseille.
Veteran coach Antoine Kombouaré got off to a winning start with Paris FC, who picked up a much-needed 1-0 home win against Nice. Zimbabwe midfielder Marshall Munetsi scored midway through the first half to move Paris FC up to 14th place. Nice dropped to 15th.
"The victory is beautiful because it was built on suffering and pain," Kombouaré said. "Nice caused us a lot of problems; we were sometimes on the limit, but we didn't crack."
The Game That Followed
Lille stayed in fifth place as defender Nathan Ngoy grabbed a stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory over struggling Nantes, the Belgian converting three minutes into added time from a right-wing corner.
Rock-bottom Metz lost 1-0 at home to Brest, with imposing striker Ludovic Ajorque grabbing the winner. The match was preceded by a protest march from Metz's two main Ultras groups, Horda Frénétik and Gruppa Metz, as the club stares relegation in the face.
Senegal striker Bamba Dieng scored twice as Lorient twice came from behind in a 2-2 home draw with Auxerre. Defender Marvin Senaya scored in the first minute and Haiti forward Josué Casimir got the other Auxerre goal.