Rami Helps Marseille To Victory As PSG Face Monaco

Rami Helps Marseille To Victory As PSG Face Monaco

Marseille’s French defender Adil Rami heads the ball and scores during their French football L1 match Olympique de Marseille (OM) vs Dijon on November 11, 2018 at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, southern France. Christophe SIMON / AFP

Adil Rami scored one goal and played a big part in another as Marseille bounced back from a run of four straight defeats to beat Dijon 2-0 on an emotional afternoon at the Velodrome on Sunday.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off in memory of the eight people killed when two buildings collapsed in the southern French city on Monday.

But on the field Rudi Garcia’s team gave their supporters some much-needed cheer as Lucas Ocampos opened the scoring late in the first half and World Cup-winning centre-back Rami sealed the points late on.

The result lifts Marseille up to sixth in the Ligue 1 table, back to within three points of third-placed Montpellier, who beat them 3-0 last weekend.

Marseille’s poor recent run had also seen them lose 2-0 at home to runaway league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, while a 3-1 loss to Lazio in Italy on Thursday condemned last season’s Europa League runners-up to a group-stage exit from that competition.

Dijon were perhaps the perfect opponents through — the Burgundy club started the season well but have not cut the mustard since, and this was a 10th successive league game without a win for them.

The opening goal arrived in stoppage time at the end of the first half as Rami got his head to a Dimitri Payet corner at the near post, and Ocampos stuck out a leg to make sure on the line.

Rami — who did not play a single minute of France’s victorious World Cup campaign — was able to claim the second goal five minutes from time as he nodded in from Kevin Strootman’s overhead kick.

That delighted his girlfriend Pamela Anderson, with the Canadian actor watching on from the stands.

Rami will now join up with the France squad for their upcoming matches against the Netherlands and Uruguay.

PSG will be aiming to make it 13 wins in as many Ligue 1 games this season later as they take on Monaco at the Stade Louis II.

The principality side have still not won under new coach Thierry Henry and lie in the relegation zone.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Bordeaux were held to a goalless draw at home by Caen in their first game since the takeover of the club by an American investment fund was announced.

Rennes midfielder Clement Grenier missed a second-half penalty as their local derby against Nantes finished 1-1.