Mason Greenwood scored twice for Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday night
Mason Greenwood scored twice in Marseille’s win over Union Saint-Gilloise(Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood starred for Marseille in their 3-2 win over Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old’s brace in the Champions League improved his goal tally to 13 in all competitions.
His crucial contributions in Belgium led to Marseille’s third victory in six Champions League games, leaving Roberto De Zerbi’s side 16th in the table ahead of Wednesday’s fixtures. Following another impressive display from Greenwood, who has scored 35 goals in 56 games since joining the French club in 2024, the ex-Brighton boss was full of praise for the forward, although he feels there is still room for improvement.
“Yes, I think he’s one of the best strikers in Europe,” the Marseille boss told RMC Sport. “But even he, when we’re leading 3-1, needs to learn to manage the ball, not to force things and not to lose possession.”
De Zerbi added: “He’s a great player, but in those moments, I think he also needs to make the effort to hold onto the ball a little longer, to give us a bit more breathing room, to be more consistent defensively, at least by holding his position.” Here is a round-up of what French media said about Greenwood’s performance.
L’Equipe
French publication L’Equipe described Greenwood as being part of a “formidable” Marseille attack. Their match report said the ex-United star was “imperious when facing the opposing goalkeeper”.
Part of a frontline that included Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Timothy Weah, it was Greenwood who got the plaudits as Marseille took a “significant step” towards qualifying for the next stage. Summing up Greenwood’s display, the match report said he was “dynamic, mobile, and decisive”.
However, the French side did face adversity during the game. De Zerbi’s side conceded the opening goal and faced a nervy end to the match after Union SG made it 3-2 with 20 minutes remaining.
La Croix
The match report from La Croix stated the importance of Marseille’s victory. Despite winning two of their three European home games, the 3-2 result in Belgium was their first victory on the road.
This important step was said to be “led by the talent of Mason Grenwood”. However, the outlet did concede that De Zerbi’s team had been helped by a “fragile” Union SG defence that “crumbled quite quickly”.
Delivering its verdict on Marseille’s performance, the match report read: “Still inconsistent, still fragile, still difficult to read, De Zerbi’s team is moving forward, at least.”
La Provence
In La Provence’s player ratings, Greenwood was awarded an eight out of 10, the highest of any Marseille player. The outlet described the backheel that helped lead to his side’s equaliser from Paixao.
Greenwood’s goal to give Marseille the lead was described as “a fine run and a powerful finish”. However, it was in the publication’s match report that the forward got the most praise.
The report said that Greenwood was “seen as a messiah by OM fans” following his two goals. His movement with the ball was described as having the Union SG “defence dancing”.
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