Marseille Climb into Ligue 1 Top Three Following Win Against Bottom-Placed Metz

Marseille had experienced a downturn in results lately, which threatened to undermine their chances of securing a place in the UEFA Champions League, yet facing a faltering Metz at home gave them a chance to revitalise their push.

Les Phocéens began brilliantly, opening the scoring shortly before the 15th minute.

When Metz committed players upfield for a corner kick, they were caught out on the break as Mason Greenwood fed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, allowing the Gabonese striker to blast the ball into the upper left corner even as he lost his footing while striking it.

Aubameyang believed he had added a second goal around the 30-minute mark, but after latching onto Quinten Timber's pass, evading Pape Sy, and finishing, the effort was chalked off due to a marginal offside decision.

The home side controlled the first period completely, though Metz came close to equalising just before halftime when Gauthier Hein's strike hit the upright.

Marseille repeated their quick start after the interval, extending their advantage in much the same way as the first goal.

From another Metz corner, the hosts transitioned swiftly into a counter, with Greenwood leading the charge once more before assisting Igor Paixão, who lofted a superb lob over Sy.

However, the cushion lasted barely a minute as Giorgi Tsitaishvili found too much room inside the Marseille area after drifting in from the flank, his low drive sneaking past Gerónimo Rulli via the goalkeeper's legs.

Beye's team kept pressing to lock down the victory, with Aubameyang stopped from a difficult position and Timber sending a shot just too high.

The decisive third came deep into added time, as Amine Gouiri provided a perfect cross for Hamed Traorè to convert, ensuring Marseille took the full spoils, although Beye might worry about his team's inefficiency in front of goal.

In the end, this fourth success under Beye's guidance maintains Marseille's hopes of Champions League action next year. For Metz, eight points from safety with only five fixtures left, relegation to Ligue 2 appears almost inevitable.