André-Pierre Gignac double earns draw against PSG to keep Marseilles on top

Marseilles 2 Paris St-Germain 2

Marseilles kept hold of first place in Ligue 1 yesterday after drawing 2-2 with bitter rivals Paris St-Germain. Strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and André-Pierre Gignac both scored twice with well-taken goals in a pulsating first half.

PSG would have overtaken Marseilles at the top with a win but were let down by poor defending and had Ibrahimovic to thank for gaining a point that maintained their unbeaten start to the league season.

Marseilles were heavily beaten 4-1 by Valenciennes last weekend but a resounding win in the Europa League on Thursday boosted confidence and Elie Baup's team started strongly against a lacklustre PSG.

The big-spending away side looked static in midfield and failed to close down. Gignac punished them in the 17th minute. André Ayew won possession in midfield and fed the ball to Gignac some 35 yards from goal. He pushed the ball inside defender Christophe Jallet and then outside of him before hitting a diagonal shot that went past Salvatore Sirigu's outstretched hand.

Ibrahimovic then scored two stunning goals in the 23rd and 25th minutes to send the raucous Stade Vélodrome crowd into total silence and take his tally to 10 goals in nine games since joining from Milan.

First, he volleyed the ball in from near the penalty spot, using the outside of his foot with a martial arts-style kick from a corner, and then hit a superb free-kick from 30 yards.

On a bad night for both defences, Gignac equalised seven minutes later with a powerful header from winger Mathieu Valbuena's corner that gave Sirigu little chance.

Third-placed Lyons, meanwhile, missed the chance to keep up the pressure on the top two when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Lorient and sit one point behind PSG.

Match facts

Scorers. Marseilles: Gignac 17, 32. PSG: Ibrahimovic 23, 25