Ligue 1 Review | Strasbourg’s statement victory ends 19-year wait to stun Marseille

The journey is often more important than the destination. “You have to go through the pain to understand where you need to improve,” said Liam Rosenior, “They’ve shown that over the course of the season.” 

Results have not always gone RC Strasbourg Alsace’s way since the new coach arrived over the summer and Le Racing have shown a tendency to drop points from commanding positions, as well as an inability to capitalise on their moments of dominance. 

The weekend before last, Strasbourg were 3-2 up against Lille OSC. The club had several chances to extend their lead in the second half, and by all accounts, they should have recorded four or five goals against a club that were staring down a fifth straight defeat in a row. 

Instead, Strasbourg would concede a penalty in the last ten minutes allowing for Jonathan David to step up to the spot and record an 85th-minute equaliser. It was a familiar problem considering Strasbourg had dropped points from winning positions in all but one of their previous four games this season. 

There was little wonder then that doubts began to creep into the Stade de la Meinau yesterday evening when Strasbourg entered the final few minutes of their clash with Olympique de Marseille. However, Strasbourg had already been “through the pain” and this time, there would be no collapse. 

A 19-year wait ended by a makeshift fullback

Every clearance was celebrated in the final quarter of an hour by a Strasbourg bench that was more than happy to lead the cheerleading efforts and support their onfield teammates as they weathered a late storm. Le Racing held strong against the flood of Marseille players to record a famous 1-0 victory against a team they hadn’t beaten since 2005. 

The difference maker and the player who would end the 19-year wait for a victory was Diego Moreira who arrived on a permanent transfer this summer from sister club Chelsea FC. He had spent the first half of last season on loan in France when he was sent to Olympique Lyonnais. However, he would be recalled to Chelsea in January. 

Moreira only made six appearances for Lyon during his brief and disappointing spell, while his time at the London club was spent in the reserves. He arrived at Strasbourg as someone who was expected to be involved in the forward line but has instead found game time as a makeshift fullback covering for the injury to Chelsea loanee Caleb Wiley. 

In only his third appearance in an unfamiliar position, Moreira would record his first career goal. The fullback who has rapidly earned his place in the team would overlap Sebastian Nanasi and poke his shot underneath goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli in a well-executed movement. 

Strasbourg aggressive and relentless 

Like many of their games this season, Strasbourg had been the far more impressive team throughout the majority of the match. The club under Rosenior have implemented an aggressive and relentlessly high press and on Sunday evening it completely suffocated Marseille. 

With the Marseille manager, Roberto De Zerbi, forced to admit that his team had come out worse in “80% of the duels.” Marseille were consigned to their first defeat of the season, and their worst performance in these early stages of the 2024/25 campaign. 

It was a game that suggests that something exciting is being built in the East of France. Ligue 1’s youngest team (with Djordje Petrović being the oldest Strasbourg player on the field at 24 years old) is brimming with potential, and it appears as if the league is beginning to take notice. 

It is perhaps too early to suggest that this could be a statement victory in Strasbourg’s season. However, the more scalps that Strasbourg can take, the harder it will be to ignore the importance of a match where Le Racing proved they could dig deep and come away with all three points. 

This week’s Ligue 1 subplots

• AS Monaco marked their centenary in style with a 2-1 victory over Montpellier HSC. The Stade Louis ii was crammed with past faces watching on as club’s young talents point to a bright future. Read the full story HERE.

• Paris Saint-Germain would bounce back from a surprising draw against Stade de Reims with a victory over Stade Rennais. Bradley Barcola the star in the club’s preparatory game ahead of a daunting trip to face Arsenal. Read the match report HERE.

• Olympique Lyonnais were rescued by a late victory in their match away at Toulouse FC. The club were far from convincing but a second victory in a row could begin to kickstart Les Gones campaign. Read the match report HERE.

GFFN | Nick Hartland