Gouiri snatches victory at Leverkusen and revives OM in Europa League

Amine Gouiri handed Olympique de Marseille their first Europa League victory this season with a stunning strike in the 77th minute away at Bayer Leverkusen (0-1). A win that genuinely revives the Phocaean club’s qualification hopes after three consecutive defeats to open their campaign.

Before this trip to Germany, OM sat at the bottom of the standings without a single point. The victory propels the club to 31st place out of 36, just one point behind Sturm Graz, currently 24th with four points — the qualifying threshold for the play-offs. Four matchdays remain, including three at home at the Vélodrome: against Levski Sofia on November 26, Celta Vigo on December 10 and Anderlecht on January 28, before a trip to Celtic Glasgow on January 21.

Bruno Genesio displayed renewed ambition after the match: “In terms of points, this completely revives us. We still have four matches to play, three of them at home, which leaves us with every chance of finishing in the top 24.” Midfielder Himad Abdelli shared this relief: “We had frustration because in Europa League we had zero points. Tonight, we beat a big team, so we’re very happy. We’re picking up points, we’re still in the race. It’s up to us to do the job.”

Opta’s predictive statistics now credit OM with a 60.4% chance of finishing in the top 24. The benchmark is known: last season, SK Brann secured 24th place with 9 points and a goal difference of -2, a total that appears achievable given the remaining fixtures.

Yet this renewed hope is not unanimous in the stands. Some Marseille supporters, fearing the squad is not equipped to juggle Europa League and Ligue 1 simultaneously, had already resigned themselves to European elimination to better concentrate efforts on the league.