PLAYER RATINGS | Beşiktaş 4-1 Marseille: Les Phocéens collapse in humbling Europa League opener

PLAYER RATINGS | Beşiktaş 4-1 Marseille: Les Phocéens collapse in humbling Europa League opener UEFA Europa League, Matchday 1, 17/09/2026 Olympique de Marseille’s European campaign would begin with a defeat as they lost 4-1 away to Beşiktaş J.K. to make it four defeats in a row across all competitions. The Match After three defeats in a row in Ligue 1, Bruno Génésio’s bruised Marseille arrived for their first taste of European football for the season. Unlike in France, where Marseille have dominated possession. Génésio had his side sit back to absorb pressure and then hit on the break.  Despite a more conservative approach, some of the defensive worries would come to the fore as Beşiktaş carved open Marseille’s backline in the 15th minute. Derek Cornelius rushed out to try and close down Junior Olaitan, allowing İlhan Fakılı to slip in behind him. The midfielder fed the ball to Fakılı, who slid his shot past Jeffrey De Lange.  Marseille would rally in the 29th minute when, on the break, Himad Abdelli dinked his pass over the Beşiktaş defence to find academy graduate Keyliane Abdallah. The winger sped into the box and then stroked his shot in at the near post. Beşiktaş would end the half the more dangerous side, and Marseille needed De Lange to pull off an excellent stop to deny Orkun Kökçü on the stroke of half-time.  Marseille looked to take the sting out of the game in the early exchanges of the second half as they controlled the ball for far longer. They even tried to be a bit more aggressive out of possession as they pressed more frequently, and in doing so they allowed the floodgates to open.  Marseille stepped up to press down the flank, leaving their centre-backs isolated. Beşiktaş hit the chasm in midfield, spraying the ball wide to Václav Černý, who fired off the post and in. Minutes later, it would be the ex-Marseille fullback Amir Murillo to add to his former side’s misery when he was left unmarked at a corner for the free header. Beşiktaş had the bit between their teeth by the end of the match and would score their fourth before time as the substitute Ernest Poku burst down Marseille’s left to score his first for the Turkish club. By the end of the match, it felt like the home side were lining up for target practice as Marseille allowed huge gaps in the vain attempt to find some sort of consolation. Next up: Paris Saint-Germain Marseille Player Ratings Jeffrey de Lange, 5 Ulisses Garcia, 5 Derek Cornelius, 3 CJ Egan-Riley, 3 The young centre-back has Bruno Génésio’s confidence, but whether that is entirely warranted is up for debate. He’s made numerous mistakes at the start of the season. He looks so vulnerable when left in a 1v1, which makes you wonder why Génésio is so stubborn about keeping a system that keeps allowing these situations to occur. Timothy Weah, 3 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, 4 Himad Abdelli, 4 A beautiful pass to assist Abdallah boosts his score a little bit. His and Højbjerg’s inability to shield the defence at crucial moments cost Marseille the opening two goals. Amine Harit, 3 Angel Gomes, 4 Keyliane Abdallah, 7 The 20-year-old was the standout performer for Marseille. He provided drive with a willingness to carry the ball at the defence and a little bit of unpredictability with his incessant desire to create. Neal Maupay, 3 Selected Beşiktaş Player Ratings Michael Amir Murillo, 7 Junior Olaitan, 8 Václav Černý, 7 GFFN | Nick Hartland