Olympique Marseille 1-0 Auxerre Player Ratings: Kondogbia 8.0/10 as Super Sub Gouiri Rescues Marseille at the Velodrome

Auxerre came to the Orange Velodrome with one thing on their mind: to make Marseille work for every single chance. And for the best part of 78 minutes, they executed that plan to near perfection. Donovan Leon was a commanding presence between the sticks, the defensive unit held its shape, and the home crowd grew increasingly restless as wave after wave of Olympique Marseille pressure came to nothing.

But defensive resolve can only hold for so long. When Gouiri arrived from the bench in the 62nd minute, Auxerre's organisation began to crack, and the inevitable finally arrived in the 79th minute, a composed finish that ended the resistance and handed Marseille a 1-0 victory that Kondogbia, magnificent for his 63 minutes, had done so much to lay the groundwork for. Here are Sportsdunia's Olympique Marseille vs Auxerre player ratings.

Key Takeaways

• Marseille dominated but repeatedly ran into a wall. The home side had the lion's share of possession and attempts throughout, but Auxerre's defensive organisation made them exceptionally difficult to break down for the majority of the contest.
• The substitutions proved to be the decisive factor. Gouiri's introduction in the 62nd minute transformed Marseille's attacking threat, and his clinical finish 17 minutes later was exactly the kind of impact Habib Beye needed from his bench.
• Kondogbia was Marseille's standout performer, dictating the midfield and setting the platform before being replaced as Habib Beye reshaped his side in search of the breakthrough.

Olympique Marseille Player Ratings vs Auxerre

Here are the Olympique Marseille player ratings for the Olympique Marseille vs Auxerre Ligue 1 fixture.

Goalkeeper

Gerónimo Rulli - 7.5: Had very little to do for about 85 minutes of the match, then was suddenly called into action. He made a couple of crucial saves late on to preserve the clean sheet and the win. What stood out to us was his concentration, staying alert despite being a spectator for long periods. A solid and reliable performance when it mattered most.

Defenders

CJ Egan-Riley - 6.5: A decent outing before being substituted. He was tidy in possession with a 96% pass accuracy, which is impressive. However, he did pick up a needless yellow card and committed a couple of fouls. Looked a bit rash at times, but overall did his job without too much fuss.

Benjamin Pavard - 7.5: A rock at the back for Marseille. From our perspective, he was calm and composed throughout the entire game. Won most of his duels and made six crucial clearances to snuff out any danger. He was a commanding presence and barely put a foot wrong all night.

Facundo Medina - 7.0: Much like his defensive partner, Medina had a strong game. He was comfortable on the ball, completing 90% of his passes and making seven clearances. The yellow card was the only real blemish on his performance. He handled the limited Auxerre threat with ease for the most part.

Timothy Weah - 7.0: A very energetic performance down the flank. He was a constant outlet, providing width and making good runs. Defensively he was sound, winning his tackles and making important recoveries. His final ball could have been better but his work rate was excellent.

Midfielders

Mason Greenwood - 7.5: The main attacking threat for Marseille all game. He was a nightmare for the Auxerre defence with his six successful dribbles. Took six shots, though most were off target or blocked. He created two chances and was always looking to make something happen. A bit wasteful, perhaps, but his intent was exactly what Marseille needed.

Igor Paixão - 6.5: A frustrating night for Paixão. He created three chances, which is a positive, but he also lost possession a staggering 16 times. His decision-making in the final third was questionable. He worked hard, but it just didn't click for him, and the late yellow card summed up his evening.

Geoffrey Kondogbia - 8.0: What a player. In his 63 minutes on the pitch, he was an absolute monster in midfield. He won an incredible nine out of ten duels and was a dominant physical presence. We were genuinely surprised to see him substituted; he was bossing the game completely. Our man of the match, despite not finishing the game.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg - 7.5: The captain led by example with a typically industrious display. He kept the play ticking over and moved the ball into dangerous areas, creating two key passes. Won his aerial duels and put in a real shift for the team. A performance full of grit and quality.

Quinten Timber - 6.5: A bundle of energy in the midfield. He was great in the duel, winning eight of them and drawing fouls. However, he was also a bit chaotic, losing possession 14 times and picking up a booking. An all-action display with good and bad moments.

Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6.5: A strangely quiet game for the prolific striker. He was involved in the build-up play and created a couple of chances but didn't register a single shot himself. From our perspective, he seemed a bit isolated and couldn't get into his usual dangerous positions. Worked hard but was ultimately ineffective.

Substitutes

Amine Gouiri - 8.0: The match-winner. Came off the bench and provided the moment of quality that Marseille had been crying out for. A brilliant finish to secure the three points. He completely changed the outcome of this match, an inspired substitution.

Emerson - 6.5: Replaced the excellent Kondogbia and helped see the game out. He was tidy and did his job without any drama. A solid, if unspectacular, contribution.

Manager

H. Beye - 7.5: His team dominated but struggled to find a way through. Credit to him, his substitutions were spot on. Bringing on Amine Gouiri was the game-changing decision that won his team the match. He showed patience and it paid off in the end.

Auxerre Player Ratings vs Olympique Marseille

Check out the Auxerre player ratings vs Olympique Marseille.

Goalkeeper

Donovan Léon - 6.5: Made a couple of decent saves and commanded his area well. Couldn't do much about the goal, which was a clinical finish. His distribution was poor, with only 50% pass accuracy, putting his team under pressure.

Defenders

Sinaly Diomandé - 6.0: He had a tough evening dealing with Marseille's attackers. He was dribbled past twice and looked shaky at times. His passing was decent, but defensively, he was not as solid as his team needed him to be. The yellow card didn't help his cause either.

Fredrik Oppegård - 5.5: A difficult game for the full-back. He struggled to contain his man and was dribbled past on two occasions. His passing was also wayward, completing only 63% of them. He looked out of his depth against high-quality opposition.

Bryan Okoh - 6.0: A very busy defender. He made some crucial blocks and interceptions, but he was also a foul machine, committing six and picking up a yellow. He fought hard, but his rashness was a constant problem until he was subbed off.

Lamine Sy - 7.0: Was probably Auxerre's best defender before he was surprisingly taken off. He won all four of his duels and was excellent in possession. We noticed he was a calm head in a frantic backline. It was a strange decision to substitute him.

Clément Akpa - 6.0: Made a high volume of clearances (seven), but he was often in the wrong position to begin with. He was dribbled past three times, which is a concern. He worked hard and threw his body on the line, but lacked a bit of defensive quality.

Midfielders

Kévin Danois - 7.0: One of the few bright sparks for Auxerre. He was neat on the ball and created two chances for his team. He put in a real shift, recovering the ball six times and trying to drive his team forward.

Josué Casimir - 5.0: A really poor performance. He was anonymous for most of the game, contributing very little in attack or defence. He lost the ball five times from just 26 touches, which says it all. Rightly substituted.

Danny Namaso - 6.0: He showed some flashes of intent and had a good shot saved late on. However, he lost possession 12 times, and his overall impact was minimal. He tried to make things happen, but it was a struggle for him all night.

Elisha Owusu - 6.5: The captain battled hard in the middle of the park. He won six duels and drew four fouls, disrupting Marseille's rhythm. He was a combative presence, but couldn't influence the game enough in an attacking sense.

Forwards

Sékou Mara - 5.5: A thankless task for the lone striker. He was completely isolated and had to feed off scraps. He won a surprising number of duels but offered almost no threat to the Marseille goal. Was a physical nuisance but little else.

Substitutes

Romain Faivre - 7.0: Made a big difference when he came on. Looked lively and forced Rulli into two saves. He gave Auxerre a genuine attacking threat that they had been missing all game. A very positive impact.

Marvin Senaya - 6.0: Came on for the solid Lamine Sy but didn't have the same impact. Did his defensive duties adequately.

Naouirou Ahamada - 6.0: Added some fresh legs and even created a chance in his short time on the pitch.

Manager

C. Pélissier - 6.5: His game plan almost worked to perfection. He set his team up to be compact and resilient, and they frustrated Marseille for 79 minutes. However, his team offered very little going forward until it was too late. The substitution of Lamine Sy was also a questionable move from our perspective.

Man of the Match

Geoffrey Kondogbia was the man of the match in the Olympique Marseille vs Auxerre game.

Worst Performer

Josué Casimir was the worst performer.