Marseille had to come from behind twice at Stade Velodrome to secure a 2-2 draw with Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1 this afternoon.
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Both sides tried to get on the front foot in the first 20 minutes but Michy Batshuayi and Abdel Barrada both saw their efforts blocked for Marseille, while Mathieu Deplagne and Rodrigue Ninga missed the target for the visitors.
The home side started to dominate possession midway through the first half, but it was Montpellier who opened the scoring when Ryad Boudebouz played a through-ball into the box for Ninga, leaving the striker to roll the ball in the bottom corner.
Marseille came close to getting back on level terms just before half time though as Mauricio Isla set up Barrada with a cross, but his shot from the middle of the box was comfortably saved.
It did not take the home side long to level the scores after the restart as Batshuayi whipped the ball into the penalty area from a corner, picking out Remy Cabella for a low drive into the bottom corner.
Montpellier restored their advantage less than 10 minutes later as Nicolas N'Koulou was forced to turn the ball behind for a corner, allowing Ninga to add his second with a tap in from close range following the set piece.
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Marseille responded as they looked for a second equaliser, but Bouna Sarr's long-range effort was blocked before Brice Dja Djedje failed to test the keeper with his 20-yard attempt.
The hosts did level though when Georges-Kevin N'Koudou made a run forward before crossing the ball in from the right, firing the ball in for Sarr to blast into the roof of the net from close range.
Marseille came close to taking the lead for the first time inside the final 15 minutes when Cabella unleashed a powerful strike from just outside the box, but Laurent Pionnier made the diving save.
Cabella was on the hunt again as the full-time whistle approached, with Sarr squaring the ball to the winger on the edge of the box, but he was denied by the keeper again.
Cabella tried to set Batshuayi up for a stoppage-time winner, laying the ball off for the striker, but the long-range strike was at a comfortable height for Pionnier to deal with, ensuring that the sides finished level.
The result leaves Marseille ninth in the table, while Montpellier move up to 15th, four points clear of the relegation zone.
Sian Cowper
