Marseille edge out Le Havre to snap winless streak and maintain European qualification dreams

After surviving the drop zone thanks to five straight draws, the hosts kicked off with energy, aiming for a victory to lock in another Ligue 1 campaign.

Marseille blocked their path, hungry for points to fuel their continental ambitions, yet this fire was not visible in the opening period as they failed to convert control into threats.

The home team posed threats during breaks, though Mbwana Samatta could merely fire a strike straight at Geronimo Rulli in the matchs initial clear opportunity.

As the encounter turned physical, openings stayed scarce, but Rulli stayed sharp. The goalkeeper pulled off a crucial stop just before the interval to block Gautier Lloris up close after his slide onto a set-piece delivery, and he then made another fine intervention to stop Ayumu Seko from bundling in from an offside call.

The away side raised their game post-interval and broke the deadlock at the 55-minute mark. After a VAR check, officials deemed Lucas Gourna-Douath had used his arm to obstruct Mason Greenwoods free-kick, allowing OMs leading marksman to slot away the penalty off the upright.

This seemed to fire up the locals instead, earning them a spot-kick with a quarter-hour left. Sofiane Boufals flair drew a rash foul from Facundo Medina, and he stepped up but hit the bar, his face twisting in pain as Rulli rushed to punch away Issa Soumares rebound nod.

This failure visibly slowed the homesides drive, particularly with fans realising scores in other fixtures were not helping their cause.

Le Havre pressed for an equaliser but fell short, while Igor Paixao saw a potential brace ruled out for Marseille right at the end of added time.

Though out of the top-four race, Marseille climb into sixth place via this success and now control their path to Europe.

Le Havre also hold their destiny, sitting above the relegation zone, but their lead on the play-off position shrinks to a single point, setting up a tense last matchday.