Bad weekend for Taiwo’s Marseille

IT was a disappointing weekend for Super Eagles left wing back, Taye Taiwo as he and his Olymipique Marseille teammates lost at home to Ligue 1 strugglers, Lorient 2-3 in a dramatic encounter

Lorient scored three times in the final 14 minutes to secure an amazing Ligue 1 victory at the Stade Velodrome and stun title hopefuls Marseille.

The three points looked in the bag for Marseille when they went two goals up by the hour mark thanks to Karim Ziani’s driven 10th-minute finish and Mamadou Niang’s penalty.

But Lorient rose from the dead, Morgan Amalfitano beginning the fightback with a sensational volley before Fabrice Abriel and Kevin Gameiro scored in the last six minutes to earn the Brittany side victory.

Marseille wasted a great chance to move to within just one point of league leaders Lyon, who play their game in hand tomorrow against Bordeaux.

It was a breathless match, with plenty of chances at both ends.

Niang hit the post in the fifth minute but the opening goal arrived soon after.

Benoit Cheyrou’s low cross from the byline went through a number of legs before reaching Ziani, who rifled an angled finish into the top corner.

Abriel really should have equalised for Lorient midway through the first half but the visiting captain spooned a gilt-edged opportunity over.

Marseille extended their lead in controversial circumstances just before the hour mark when they were awarded a penalty, even though Benjamin Genton clearly brought down Niang just outside the area.

Niang was not complaining as he got up, dusted himself down and sent Lionel Cappone the wrong way from the spot.

The same striker had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside in the 69th minute and that would prove costly.

Substitute Amalfitano halved Lorient’s deficit with a superb volley from the edge of the area.

And there was silence around the Velodrome when Abriel found space 25 yards out and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner with six minutes left.

Lorient were not finished yet and they grabbed all three points when Gameiro slid home an 87th-minute winner following a swift counter-attack.