For more than two and a half decades, Strasbourg hadn’t celebrated a victory at the Vélodrome, but ahead of tonight’s visit, there was hope that the team from the far east of France, buoyed by good results at the start of the new calendar year, could break that unfortunate streak. And they were on the right track to do so, holding a lead for over half an hour in the final match of Ligue 1’s 18th round and successfully resisting Marseille’s attacks for more than a half. However, they couldn’t hold on. They conceded after a penalty, which Mason Greenwood successfully converted midway through the second half, forcing Liam Rosenior’s men to settle for a 1-1 (0-1) draw.Suivez ma page officielle ici 👉 @Goals433Goal Mason Greenwood [Penalty 68] Marseille [1]-1 Strasbourg#OMRCSA pic.twitter.com/nInQkCV3X3— follow @Goals433 (@Basketball36528) January 19, 2025 Strasbourg may not have won in Marseille since 1997, but they have recently become a formidable obstacle for Olympique. Earlier this season, they defeated Marseille by a minimal margin at home, and tonight they once again hindered their pursuit of a Champions League spot, extending their unbeaten run to six consecutive matches against the nine-time French champions. Given their shaky defense away from home (19 goals conceded in nine away matches before tonight), Strasbourg held up remarkably well against the second-most potent attack in the league, preventing their opponents from registering a single shot on target against goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović in the first half. The team, which shares an owner with Chelsea and serves as a development platform for young players, sat deep in defense, waiting for the right moment to strike—and they found it midway through the first half.MASON GREENWOOD 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗨 𝗠𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗨𝗥 𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝟭 👑🇫🇷Le Marseillais devance d’une unité Jonathan David et Bradley Barcola 👀 pic.twitter.com/RffYBYuD2W— BeFootball (@_BeFootball) January 19, 2025 Strasbourg forward Emanuel Emegha caught Marseille’s defense napping in the 23rd minute, slipping behind Leandro Balerdi and continuing his goal-scoring form with a finish off a pass from Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos. It was Emegha’s fourth goal in his last three league matches. However, the Brazilian midfielder undid his good work in the second half with a reckless challenge on 17-year-old Ligue 1 debutant Robin Vázquez at the edge of the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot, and Mason Greenwood stepped up to equalize with his 12th goal of the season. Petrović guessed the right direction of the former Manchester United player’s shot but couldn’t stop it, as Greenwood pulled ahead in the Ligue 1 top scorers’ race—one goal ahead of Bradley Barcola and Jonathan David.Meilleur buteur en 2025 en Ligue 1.𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗵𝗮 𝗮𝗸𝗮… 𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗧 ⚽️😤 pic.twitter.com/g4X4VKdnBV— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) January 19, 2025 The home team was piling on the pressure at that point, and just two minutes before the equalizer, Luis Henrique struck the post from distance, with Jonathan Rowe pouncing on the rebound, only for Petrović to make a crucial save. The second half played out similarly to the first, especially from Strasbourg’s perspective, as they defended deep and nearly retook the lead just five minutes after conceding. Emegha once again got past the defense, this time set up by Sebastian Nanasi, but the 13 million euros striker could only hit the post. Marseille survived the scare and pushed for a comeback until the end. They had possession and pressure, but despite the referee adding six minutes of stoppage time—allowing nearly nine—they couldn’t find a second goal. They remain in second place with 37 points, nine behind Paris Saint-Germain, while Strasbourg sits in tenth with 24 points.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 18FridayMontpellier – Monaco 2-1 (0-1)/Al-Taamari 55, 82 – Kehrer 32/Lille – Nice 2-1 (0-1)/Haraldsson 48, Diakite 63 – Diop 29/SaturdayLens – PSG 1-2 (1-0)/Nzola 36 – Ruiz 59, Barcola 86/Rennes – Brest 1-2 (0-1)/Blas 77 – Magnetti 27, Ajorque 73/Olympique Lyon – Toulouse 0-0SundaySaint-Etienne – Nantes 1-1 (0-1)/Boakye 87 – Simon 14/Angers – Auxerre 2-0 (1-0)/Diomande 18 og, Lepaul 47/Reims – Le Havre 1-1 (1-0)/Munetsi 26 – Sangante 67/Olympique Marseille – Strasbourg 1-1 (0-1)/Greenwood 68(p) – Emegha 23/
