PLAYER RATINGS | Sporting CP 2-1 Marseille: Les Phocéens end winning run in 10-man defeat | OneFootball

22/10/2025 UEFA Champions League Matchday 3THE MATCH 

Marseille’s six-game winning streak comes to an end in the UEFA Champions League as De Zerbi’s men fell to a 2-1 defeat to Sporting – having to play the second half down to ten men after Emerson’s sending off. Igor Paixao did well to open the scoring with a lovely curled finish, before second half efforts from Catamo and Santos completed a comeback for the Portuguese hosts. 

De Zerbi’s men had to take their time to settle into proceedings, with Sporting CP trying to press Les Phocéens high up the pitch and Leo Balerdi committing an early foul on former OM man Luis Suarez. Yet eventually Igor Paixao was released down the left side but blasted his strike just over the bar – and he would soon enough get on the scoresheet. Bringing down the ball in the left channel, the Brazilian drove to the edge of the box and this time unleashed a perfectly curled strike past Silva for his third goal in the Champions League this season (13′).

 After the hosts pushed for the equaliser, a great combination between Paixao, Aubameyang and Greenwood saw the Englishman strike but not test the goalkeeper. OM had to be careful in possession, at points guilty of slowing down too much at the back before Trincao intercepted but once again Les Phocéens would recover well. Rulli was then well-positioned to save Goçalves’s strike from close range as De Zerbi.OM had a penalty shout just before the end of the first half, with Emerson going down after some contact from Maximiliano Araújo. The referee consulted VAR to overturn the decision and hand a second yellow to the former West Ham man. In the second half Marseille struggled to keep the ball, Rulli was on hand to save from Gonçalves as Sporting suffocated Les Phocéens of time and space in the final third as Aubameyang cut an increasingly isolated figure up front. Sporting then managed to level proceedings after Gonçalves sent through a freshly introduced Geny Catamo who slotted below Rulli (68′). The Portuguese side then grabbed a late goal  when Alisson Santos drove inside the box and a wicked deflection off Pavard saw the hosts go in front for the first time, in painful fashion for OM (88′).OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYER RATINGS Geronimo Rulli – 5

The Argentine settled down after a nervy start which saw him throw away possession of the ball on multiple occasions. Yet he thrived when OM went down to ten men, making several key saves that ultimately came in vain when Santos’s deflected strike sent him the wrong way as he could only watch the ball float over him into the back of the net.

Benjamin Pavard – 4

Nayef Aguerd – 5

Leonardo Balerdi – 5

He earned a yellow card in the early minutes, with a rushed tackle on Suarez. But little by little the Argentine improved and ended up making some vital interceptions and blocks when OM were under pressure in the second period. 

Timothy Weah – 4Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6

Arthur Vermeeren – 5

Emerson Palmieri – 3Classic schoolboy error from the former West Ham United defender, who earned a first yellow card for a handball before being sent off just before half time for an act of simulation in the box after the referee initially gave the penalty. He put his team unnecessarily down to ten men for the whole of the second period 

Mason Greenwood – 5

Perhaps a victim of Marseille going down to ten men, but despite several half-chances the Englishman couldn’t quite replicate the impact he had against Le Havre last weekend. De Zerbi chose to haul off the Englishman at half-time logically to reinforce OM’s midfield with O’Riley and Murillo in the back line.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 4

Igor Paixao – 7The Brazilian once again showed his class in the Champions League, threatening with his runs on the inside left channel and then scoring a lovely curled effort to put OM in the driving seat in the first half. Without the ball he was hard-working and managed to win several important freekicks up the pitch when OM went down to ten men. GFFN | George Boxall