Marseille Looks to Payet as Race for 2nd Place Heats Up

Marseille's French midfielder Dimitri Payet gestures after during the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal second leg football match between Feyenoord and Olympique de Marseille (OM) Feyenoord stadium de Kuip in Rotterdam,on April 28, 2022. (AFP)
Marseille's French midfielder Dimitri Payet gestures after during the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal second leg football match between Feyenoord and Olympique de Marseille (OM) Feyenoord stadium de Kuip in Rotterdam,on April 28, 2022. (AFP)
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Marseille Looks to Payet as Race for 2nd Place Heats Up

Marseille's French midfielder Dimitri Payet gestures after during the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal second leg football match between Feyenoord and Olympique de Marseille (OM) Feyenoord stadium de Kuip in Rotterdam,on April 28, 2022. (AFP)
Marseille's French midfielder Dimitri Payet gestures after during the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal second leg football match between Feyenoord and Olympique de Marseille (OM) Feyenoord stadium de Kuip in Rotterdam,on April 28, 2022. (AFP)

Marseille is under pressure to hold onto second place in the French league and will need Dimitri Payet in his best form to secure automatic entry into next season's Champions League.

The 35-year-old Payet is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, and is on course to beat his career record for most goals in a season.

As the race heats up for second spot behind Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille is only three points ahead of third-place Rennes and in-form Monaco. Those two clubs are separated only by goal difference, with Monaco hauling itself into Champions League contention on the back of a seven-game winning run.

Monaco has not looked back since dominating PSG 3-0 at home in March, and the mid-season hiring of coach Philippe Clement to replace Niko Kovac is paying off.

Monaco has scored 17 goals in its winning streak, which included a victory at Rennes, and striker Wissam Ben Yedder is tied for second with Rennes forward Martin Terrier in the scoring charts with 21 goals. They are three behind PSG's Kylian Mbappe.

Monaco will play Friday at Lille, the French league champions last season. Marseille is at Lorient on Sunday. Rennes is at Nantes, but that game won't be played until next Wednesday because Nantes faces Nice in the French Cup final on Saturday.

That gives Monaco and Marseille the chance to apply pressure on Rennes with victories. Although the Marseille's squad will have to recover quickly to reset after playing Feyenoord on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal.

For Marseille, much depends on the form of Payet. Despite his advancing years, he has scored 12 goals - his best in a season for Marseille - and had nine assists.

With his ability to play as a false nine, or ghost into position as a deep-lying playmaker, Payet is a crucial component in coach Jorge Sampaoli’s 4-3-3 system.

In addition to his goals, Payet's exceptional ability to hold the ball back to goal, the fact he almost never gives away possession, allied to his excellent accuracy on free kicks and corners, make him a constant menace for defenders.

"I play in a system that's well defined around me. A lot of balls come my way. So for a No. 10 there's nothing better than to organize things and be at the heart of the game,” Payet said. "I'm making the most of my last years as a player, which is why I'm enjoying it more."

Although he reads the game quickly, Payet has never been a quick player in terms of speed, so he has refined his game even more with age.

"Football today is much faster and more athletic. What's changed in my game since Jorge Sampaoli arrived is my positioning," Payet explained. "When you start losing speed and explosiveness, you can still keep up and make a difference if you're well positioned between the lines and able to find space."

But when Payet is not at his best, like in the 3-0 home loss to Lyon last Sunday, Marseille struggles more.

If the former France international needs any extra motivation for the final stretch, he is one behind his best career tally for league goals in a season - he netted 13 for Saint-Etienne in 2010-11.



Teen Andreeva Topples Defending Champ Swiatek to Reach Indian Wells Final

Mirra Andreeva of Russia in action against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the women’s semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 14 March 2025. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO
Mirra Andreeva of Russia in action against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the women’s semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 14 March 2025. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO
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Teen Andreeva Topples Defending Champ Swiatek to Reach Indian Wells Final

Mirra Andreeva of Russia in action against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the women’s semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 14 March 2025. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO
Mirra Andreeva of Russia in action against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the women’s semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 14 March 2025. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva ended defending champion Iga Swiatek's bid for an unprecedented third Indian Wells women's title, toppling the world number two 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach the final, AFP reported.

Andreeva, 17, ended Swiatek's 10-match Indian Wells winning streak, beating the Polish star for the second time in three weeks after toppling her in the quarter-finals at Dubai on the way to becoming the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion.

She'll have a chance at another of the prestigious titles on Sunday when she takes on the winner of another semi-final grudge match between world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Andreeva is the youngest Indian Wells finalist since 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001.

The world number 11 stymied Swiatek in a dominant first set tiebreaker and regrouped after Swiatek steam-rolled through the second set on another cold, blustery evening on Stadium Court.

American veteran Keys denied the Belarusian a third straight Aussie Open title as she claimed her own maiden major in Melbourne in January.

Swiatek, who hadn't dropped a set in her prior 10 match wins in the California desert, looked supremely confident as she dropped just one point in her first three service games.

But Andreeva claimed the first break of the match for a 5-4 lead, Swiatek opening the door with a double fault and a forehand into the net before firing a forehand crosscourt wide.

Swiatek broke back in the next game and they went to the tiebreaker, where Andreeva opened with a stinging backhand crosscourt winner to launch a dominant display.

Swiatek put her frustrations aside and broke Andreeva to open the second set, breaking her twice more as the Russian's errors multiplied under pressure from her opponent.

"I saw my mom's nervous face in the big screen," Andreeva told the crowd. "I tried not to look there."

But the roles reversed again when Andreeva broke Swiatek to open the third and she sealed the victory with her third break of the set.