Marseille win goodwill match
Thursday, February 28, 2002
Article summary
Olympique de Marseille beat an Algerian national XI 3-2 in a friendly match in Algiers.
Article body
Festive atmosphere
The match was played in a festive atmosphere far removed from the incidents that caused Algeria's October friendly with France in Paris to be abandoned. In a gesture of goodwill, the 15,000 Algerian spectators present supported both Marseille and their own national team, waving the flags of both teams throughout the match.
Bakayoko double
The game itself almost produced a late twist. With ten minutes to go, Marseille were leading 3-0 thanks to goals from Ibrahima Bakayoko (2) Benjamin Gavanon, but the Algerian team rallied, scoring twice through Nassim Akrour.