Mason Greenwood salvaged a point for Marseille with his third French Ligue 1 goal of the season in a 2-2 draw against Reims at the Vélodrome on Sunday.
Despite taking an early lead through Amine Harit, Marseille’s defense faltered as Reims went ahead with goals from Yaya Kader Fofana and Sergio Akieme.
Greenwood had scored twice in his debut for Marseille in a 5-1 victory over Brest in their league opener. The former Manchester United forward made a controversial move to Marseille this summer.
Greenwood, who according to ESPN sources is set to change his international allegiance from England to Jamaica, became the first Marseille player to score three goals in the first two games of the season since Dimitri Payet in 2013.
Despite scoring a late goal to avoid defeat in his first league match at the Velodrome as Marseille manager, Roberto De Zerbi expressed disappointment with the final result.
“I’m disappointed and annoyed. I’m sorry, I would have liked to have won this first game at the Velodrome. I feel a huge responsibility with these fans,” De Zerbi said to DAZN.
Strasbourg earned its first league victory of the season with a high-intensity 3-1 win against Rennes. Andrey Santos opened the scoring for Strasbourg in the 23rd minute, capitalizing on a corner.
Emanuel Emegha doubled Strasbourg’s lead early in the second half. Ludovic Blas pulled one back for Rennes, but a late own-goal by Christopher Wooh sealed the win for Strasbourg.
Strasbourg’s fans, who had been protesting against the club’s ownership, ended the day celebrating a well-deserved win.
Auxerre had several chances but failed to find the net, and their hopes were hit when Ado Onaiwu was sent off in the 52nd for a dangerous tackle. Bahereba Guirassy added a second goal deep in stoppage time.
Lens beat Brest 2-0 with an early goal from Jhoanner Chavez and an own-goal from Julien Le Cardinal. Lens lost Deiver Machado to a red card in the 88th minute.
Also Sunday, Nice and Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw on a pitch whose grass had been damaged by a fungal infection. American defender Mark McKenzie started in his Toulouse debut following his transfer from Belgium’s Genk.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
