Having fallen to a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to LOSC Lille in the Coupe de France in midweek, Roberto De Zerbi’s side turned their attention back to the pursuit of league-leaders PSG in Ligue 1. Marseille looked disjointed in the opening stages, however, and their poor start was punished in the 23rd minute when Emanuel Emegha raced onto Andrey Santos’ defence-splitting pass and finished coolly beyond Gerónimo Rulli.
Undeterred by that setback, the hosts gradually gained a foothold in the contest as the first half progressed, seeing plenty of the ball in the final third. Clear-cut chances came at a premium though, with Luis Henrique firing Marseille’s best opportunity narrowly wide of the target as Strasbourg maintained their slender lead going into HT.
Having picked up just 12 of their 36 league points on home soil this season, Les Phocéens looked to up the ante at the start of the second period. Greenwood and Henrique threatened in quick succession, shortly before Ulisses Garcia headed wastefully over from close range.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down, and after Henrique powered a strike against the post, Marseille were awarded a penalty when Santos fouled substitute Robinio Vaz in the area. Greenwood assumed the responsibility from the spot and converted into the bottom corner for his 13th goal of the season.
Strasbourg nearly restored their lead just four minutes later, only for Emegha’s effort from the edge of the box to crash against the woodwork. With time ticking into the final quarter-hour, both sides continued to commit numbers forward in pursuit of a winning goal.
However, despite a couple of half-chances at either end of the pitch, the match ultimately fizzled out into a draw, with De Zerbi’s side dropping valuable points in the title race. As for Le Racing, their unbeaten run across all competitions extends to an impressive seven matches (W5, D2).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Andrey Santos (RC Strasbourg Alsace)