Marseille beat Athletic Club 3-1 at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday in Bruno Genesio’s first match in charge on home ground, a third consecutive pre-season win ahead of the Ligue 1 opener on 21 August.
Angel Gomes, Igor Paixao and Tadjidine Mmadi scored for the hosts in front of a crowd of roughly 45,000. Oihan Sancet equalised for the Basque side midway through the first half.
How was it won?
Gomes opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a curling strike from the edge of the area, after captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won the ball high up the pitch. Amine Gouiri had earlier been denied by goalkeeper Alex Padilla.
Athletic levelled against the run of play on 34 minutes, Sancet following in after de Lange parried a shot from Inaki Williams. Paixao restored the lead six minutes later, cutting inside from the left and finishing with his right foot.
| Minute | Scorer | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Angel Gomes | 1-0 |
| 34 | Oihan Sancet | 1-1 |
| 40 | Igor Paixao | 2-1 |
| 86 | Tadjidine Mmadi | 3-1 |
What was the Marseille v Athletic Club result?
Olympique de Marseille beat Athletic Club 3-1 in a pre-season friendly at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday 9 August 2026. Angel Gomes scored in the tenth minute, Oihan Sancet equalised for Athletic on 34 minutes, Igor Paixao restored the lead on 40 minutes and substitute Tadjidine Mmadi added a third on 86 minutes. It was the first match at the Velodrome under Bruno Genesio, appointed as Marseille head coach for the 2026-27 season, and the club’s third consecutive win of a five-match pre-season programme. Athletic Club are coached by Edin Terzic. Around 45,000 spectators attended. Marseille face Atletico Madrid at the same ground on Friday in their final warm-up before opening their Ligue 1 season at home to Strasbourg on 21 August.
How did the sides line up?
Genesio set Marseille out in a 4-3-3, with Salis Abdelli, Hojbjerg and Gomes in midfield and Amine Harit involved in attack. Hojbjerg was prominent throughout and later dropped into central defence as substitutions accumulated.
Leonardo Balerdi went off with a thigh problem. Geoffrey Kondogbia, Nnadi and Neal Maupay came on at the interval, after which the tempo dropped and Marseille managed the game with a much younger side.
Mmadi settled it four minutes from time, played in by Quentin Timber on the left before cutting inside and beating Padilla.
What comes next?
Marseille meet Atletico Madrid at the Velodrome on Friday in their final preparation match, then begin Ligue 1 at home to Strasbourg on 21 August.
The club has yet to confirm a summer signing, and this was their first outing in front of their own supporters after a training camp in the Netherlands. They had beaten the Qatari side Al-Shahaniya 3-0 four days earlier.
Why the fixture mattered
Pre-season results are discarded, but this was the first sight home supporters had of a new manager, and Genesio has spoken during the summer about wanting a more vertical style with quicker transitions.
The first half offered evidence of it. Marseille pressed high, won the ball in Athletic’s half for the opening goal, and created chances through Paixao on the left. The second half, reshaped by substitutions, told less.
Athletic are coached by Edin Terzic and play under a recruitment policy restricting the squad to players from the Basque Country. They arrived having won five of their previous six matches.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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