Gouiri Brace Powers Marseille Past Strasbourg in Ligue 1 Opener

Amine Gouiri scored twice, including a second-half penalty, while Keyliane Abdallah and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg added late goals to complete a dominant victory.

The first half ended goalless despite Marseille creating several opportunities and gradually increasing the pressure on the visitors.

Angel Gomes went close early in the contest before forcing Strasbourg goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen into a save, while Igor Paixao also tested the goalkeeper from the left side of the penalty area.

Hojbjerg had two efforts from distance before the interval, while Amine Harit forced another save as Marseille continued to search for the breakthrough.

Strasbourg also had moments going forward, with Gessime Yassine testing Jeffrey de Lange and Samuel Amo-Ameyaw attempting to trouble the Marseille defence.

The hosts finally broke the deadlock immediately after the restart.

Just one minute into the second half, Angel Gomes found Gouiri inside the penalty area and the striker directed a left-footed finish into the bottom corner to put Marseille ahead.

Strasbourg's task became significantly more difficult in the 59th minute when Samir El Mourabet was sent off for violent conduct.

The midfielder's initial punishment was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, leaving Strasbourg with 10 players for the remainder of the contest.

Marseille quickly capitalised on their numerical advantage.

Igor Paixao was fouled inside the area by Guela Doue, with VAR confirming the penalty before Gouiri stepped forward in the 68th minute.

The forward calmly converted his spot kick into the bottom-right corner to score his second goal of the night and give Marseille a commanding 2-0 advantage.

Strasbourg made several changes as they attempted to stay in the contest, but Marseille remained in control.

The hosts added a third goal in the 89th minute through substitute Keyliane Abdallah.

Abdallah, who had entered the match only minutes earlier, found space on the right side of the penalty area before sending a left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

Marseille were not finished.

Deep into stoppage time, Hojbjerg collected possession outside the penalty area and struck a right-footed effort into the bottom-right corner to complete the 4-0 scoreline.

The result gave Marseille a perfect start to the new Ligue 1 season and provided an early indication of their attacking threat.

Gouiri was at the centre of the performance, scoring the opening two goals before Marseille took full advantage of Strasbourg's red card to make the victory more emphatic late on.

For Strasbourg, El Mourabet's dismissal proved costly as the visitors struggled to contain Marseille during the final half-hour.

Marseille will take confidence from both the result and the clean sheet as they begin their pursuit of a strong domestic campaign.