Olympique de Marseille beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 on Sunday in a friendly that marked Bruno Genesio's first match as coach at the Stade Vélodrome.
Goals from Angel Gomes in the 10th minute, Igor Paixao in the 40th minute and Tadjidine Mmadi in the 86th minute secured the win. It was Marseille's third straight victory in preparation for the new season, with one more warm-up match to come on Friday against Atlético Madrid, again at the Vélodrome.
A confident start from Marseille
About 45,000 spectators filled the Vélodrome on a warm Sunday evening for the match. Marseille's squad, still without any officially confirmed new signing, had just returned from a training camp in the Netherlands and produced an encouraging first half.
The team showed an attacking mindset from the start of the match, creating several chances. Amine Gouiri missed an early one-on-one with goalkeeper Alex Padilla in the 9th minute, but Angel Gomes then scored with a powerful strike from inside the right side of the box after captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won the ball high up the pitch, putting Marseille 1-0 ahead in the 10th minute.
A match against Strasbourg to open the Ligue 1 season
Bilbao equalized from one of their few chances when Oihan Sancet pounced on a ball parried by goalkeeper Jeffrey De Lange, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 34th minute. Paixao then put Marseille back in front in the 41st minute with a mix of dribbling and power at the edge of the box, making it 2-1. Nineteen-year-old Mmadi sealed the 3-1 win in the 86th minute.
Marseille will officially open their Ligue 1 season on August 21 at home against Strasbourg, with kickoff set for 8:45 p.m.
