Gouiri from the bench clinches gritty Marseille triumph amid unhappy crowd

Amine Gouiri entered as a substitute and fired in the decisive strike on Friday, helping Marseille strengthen their hold on third position in Ligue 1 via a 1-0 victory at home against struggling Auxerre.

Although Paris Saint-Germain and Lens have pulled ahead at the summit, the five clubs trailing them, vying for the final direct Champions League qualification, began the weekend just six points apart.

This result extended Marseille's advantage over fourth-placed Lyon to three points, with Lyon set to face Le Havre on Sunday.

Marseille generated no opportunities during a flat opening period at the quiet Velodrome, where supporters from both sides observed a 45-minute vocal protest. The audience did rally to jeer their side at the interval.

Leading Ligue 1 marksman Mason Greenwood along with Pierre Emile Hojbjerg threatened shortly after the restart.

In the 61st minute, manager Habib Beye swapped central defender CJ Egan Riley for forward Gouiri, a decision that proved fruitful.

Come the 79th minute, the Algerian forward capitalised on a mishandled ball to unleash a powerful volley for the game-clinching goal.

Marseille held firm against a late 87th-minute alarm when Auxerre's Bryan Okoh found the target, though video evidence confirmed it was via his hand.

Auxerre stayed rooted in 16th, occupying the relegation play-off position, trailing Nice by five points for outright survival while leading Nantes by two points from automatic descent.

"Marseille offered little, yet we failed to exploit their vulnerabilities," remarked Auxerre boss Christophe Pelissier. 

"We managed to unsettle them, but lacked the edge to hurt them."