Marseille finally win in Europe, as Gouiri's thunderbolt sinks Leverkusen

Marseille needed a big night in Europe, and they picked the toughest possible place to get one. On Thursday 5 November, OM beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in Germany for their first Europa League win of the season.

It ended a run of three defeats in a row. It also ended Leverkusen's perfect start: the German side had won all three of their games so far and were seen as one of the favourites.

What happened?

The only goal came in the 77th minute. Amine Gouiri set off on a solo run and unleashed a powerful shot from distance that flew in.

It could have come much earlier. Gouiri controlled the ball with his chest, nutmegged a defender inside the box and shot, but Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken saved it in the 7th minute.

Leverkusen had their moment just before half-time, when a deflected effort from Miguel Gutierrez hit the crossbar (43rd). Apart from that, Marseille set the rhythm. Igor Paixao (56th) and Geoffrey Kondogbia (64th) both went close before Gouiri struck.

At the other end, OM goalkeeper Jeffrey De Lange made the saves he had to, including one from a Gutierrez header deep into stoppage time (90+4).

Why does it matter?

Marseille have often struggled to last a full match. They suffered through the second half of their Ligue 1 win over Toulouse on Sunday. In Leverkusen, they did not crack.

"It's our reference match in European competition against a good team," said Gouiri, who is an Algeria international. "We enjoyed it, we respected the game plan, and we played out from the back well." He added that it is a complicated season, but that the squad is working well.

What's next?

The calendar now looks friendlier. OM play three of their next four European games at home: Levski Sofia on 26 November, then Celta Vigo and Anderlecht. In between, they travel to Celtic Glasgow.

After this win, Marseille are back in the race to qualify from the Europa League's league phase.