Sinayoko's Hat Trick Sinks Marseille as Paris FC Wins 2-3 at the Velodrome

Lassine Sinayoko needed only a few seconds to spoil the evening at the Velodrome. With the match barely underway, the Paris FC forward tapped in a pass from Luca Koleosho to make it 0-1, and from there the game never settled down until it finished 2-3 in favor of the visitors from Paris, in Ligue 1 play.

Marseille responded quickly: in the 7th minute, Amine Gouiri leveled things with a crossed shot from inside the box. But Paris FC went back in front before the half hour mark: in the 18th minute, Sinayoko headed home a cross from Pablo Pagis off a corner kick, a goal that needed a VAR review before it was confirmed. With the score at 1-2, the rest of the first half turned into a back and forth of chances without a payoff: Igor Paixao rattled the crossbar with a direct free kick in the 39th minute, and there were saves on both ends before the break.

In the second half, Marseille found the equalizer again. Gouiri, once more, finished from point blank range off an assist from Amine Harit to make it 2-2 in the 52nd minute and complete his brace for the night. The match appeared headed for a tight finish, but Paris FC had the last word: in the 82nd minute, VAR spotted a handball by CJ Egan-Riley inside the box and awarded a penalty. Sinayoko made no mistake from the spot in the 85th minute to complete his hat trick and seal the final 2-3.

By the numbers

Marseille controlled possession and won more corners, but Paris FC was sharper when it counted. Here are the figures from the match:

According to our post-match xG estimate based on the shots taken in the game, Paris FC generated 3.059 expected goals against 1.822 for Marseille, a gap that backs up what the scoreboard showed: the visitors were more clinical in front of goal.

The result also runs counter to our pre-match projections. Going in, we gave Marseille a 55% chance of winning, against just 20% for Paris FC, and our expected scoreline had the home side scoring more (1.88 expected) than the visitors (1.08). It turned out to be just the opposite: the Paris side was the one that walked away with all three points on the road.

What it means in the standings

The win moves Paris FC into second place with 7 points from 3 matches played, part of a group tied on that mark alongside Lyon, Lille and Rennes, and just 2 points behind Monaco, which leads with a perfect record. Marseille, meanwhile, sits in tenth place with just 3 points after one win and two losses, 4 points behind tonight's opponent in the standings.

For Marseille, the problem wasn't creating chances: they had the shots, they had the possession, and even hit the crossbar, but they struggled to hold on to the leads they fought to level. For Paris FC, the story was the opposite: despite seeing less of the ball, every attack carried a cutting edge, and in Sinayoko they found the man of the match, a hat trick that included two goals from inside the box and a well taken penalty late on.