Paris - Arabstoday
Andre-Pierre Gignac matched Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal for goal to earn Marseille a 2-2 draw at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday and keep OM three points clear of their arch rivals at the top of Ligue 1. All the goals came in the first half at Stade Velodrome, with Gignac scoring either side of a stunning quick-fire double from Ibrahimovic, whose eye-catching contribution masked a listless performance from his side. PSG remain unbeaten in the French top flight this season, but Marseille showed enough to suggest that their storming start to the campaign is not about to fizzle out. Having seen their perfect Ligue 1 record destroyed by a 4-1 defeat at Valenciennes last weekend, Marseille righted the ship by thrashing AEL Limassol 5-1 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, and they began in positive fashion against PSG. Gignac fired over after deftly eluding Thiago Silva in the fourth minute but 13 minutes later he found the target, wriggling away from Christophe Jallet and planting a low drive into the bottom-left corner. PSG's lethargy evoked unwelcome reminders of their 3-0 undoing at the Velodrome last season, but they were quickly shaken out of their slumber by the brilliant Ibrahimovic, who took his tally for the season to nine league goals. The giant Swede scored twice in the space of two minutes to turn the game in PSG's favour, equalising with an audacious volleyed back-heel from Maxwell's corner in the 23rd minute and then ripping a ferocious free-kick past Steve Mandanda from 25 yards. Gignac then headed home his second from a Mathieu Valbuena corner to ensure parity at half-time. Tempers flared at the interval, with Morgan Amalfitano fortunate to escape sanction for a slap on Blaise Matuidi, while PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to introduce Kevin Gameiro in place of the disappointing Javier Pastore. Gameiro and Andre Ayew spurned chances at either end early in the second period, but the game dipped in intensity thereafter as both sides seemed to settle for a point. FIFA