Thauvin scores again as 3rd-placed Marseille beats Bordeaux
Winger Florian Thauvin continued his remarkable form as Marseille beat Bordeaux 1-0 in a scrappy French league match on Sunday to stay one point behind secondplaced Monaco.
In the quest for a top-three finish and a Champions League place next season, Marseille gained valuable ground by moving six points ahead of fourth-placed Lyon which earlier drew 2-2 at Lille.
“We’re sticking close to Monaco and that’s the most important thing,” Thauvin said.
Marseille will be increasingly confident for next Sunday’s trip to runaway leader Paris Saint-Germain. The side’s new-found consistency owes much to Thauvin, who has emerged as the leader in attack from his habitual position wide on the right. He has scored spectacular goals by cutting inside on his left foot and unleashing curling shots from outside the penalty area.
This time it was a rare headed goal, as he showed great timing and athleticism to nod in midfielder Dimitri Payet’s corner from the left in the 35th minute.
Thauvin has 15 league goals equaling his career-best tally from last season with 12 games to go and a further 10 assists. He is staking a strong claim to be included in the France squad for the World Cup later this year.
Bordeaux coach Gus Poyet entered the game on a three-match winning run since taking charge. But Bordeaux rarely threatened and remains in eighth place.
To celebrate Chinese New Year, the names of Marseille’s players were written in Mandarin on the back of their shirts. Marseille recently launched an account on Chinese social media site Weibo.
PSG beat Strasbourg 5-2 on Saturday and is 12 points clear of defending champion Monaco, which won 4-0 against Dijon on Friday.