Roberto De Zerbi 'knew how to stop' PSG as match-winner Nayef Aguerd hails 'frankly incredible' Marseille victory in his first Classique since joining from West Ham

Aguerd has started his Marseille with a bang, scoring twice in his first two Ligue 1 appearances for the French outfit after securing a €23 million (£20m/$27m) move from West Ham over the summer. On Monday, Les Olympiens triumphed over Paris Saint-Germain 1-0, thanks to Aguerd's goal in the fifth minute.  

The timing of the fixture was quite strange. The match was initially scheduled to be played on Sunday evening, but adverse weather conditions meant that the clash was postponed a day later to Monday evening. Coincidentally, the game clashed with the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, where the likes of Desire Doue and Joao Neves watched their PSG team-mate Ousmane Dembele lift the coveted individual award. Several important players from the starting XI were unavailable for Luis Enrique, which saw the Spaniard field a second-string side against Marseille.   

Speaking to reporters after the game, Aguerd said: “Frankly incredible! I would like to thank the club for facilitating my adaptation. It’s as if I’ve been here for a year. It was a very important match for the fans, at home. We’re very happy. All the credit also goes to the coach and the technical staff. We’ll keep working, I hope we’ll continue on this path. It’s not my job to score, but I’m not going to deprive myself of helping the team. We’re working. There are a lot of repetitions and demands in training. With my size, there are also other very dangerous players, like Leo [Balerdi] and Ben [Pavard]. We’re taking advantage of our weapons and our qualities. It wasn't an easy match. They're a team that plays the ball well, presses, and puts in a lot of intensity. The coach knew how to stop them. It was tough; we had to sacrifice ourselves and make a lot of runs. It worked." 

De Zerbi's troops will face a tricky away fixture against Champions League hopefuls Strasbourg on Friday, before hosting Ajax in Europe's premier club competition next Tuesday.