Olympique de Marseille suffer fourth straight defeat in Europe

Olympique de Marseille’s difficult start to the season worsened in Istanbul as Besiktas handed them a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. The result leaves the French club still searching for a response after three successive Ligue 1 losses, with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain coming three days later.

Besiktas won 4-1 in Marseille’s opening Europa League fixture. Ilhan Fakiri put the Turkish side ahead in the 14th minute, but Keyliane Abdallah restored parity for the visitors before half-time. Marseille briefly took control after the interval, only to concede twice in a three-minute spell.

Vaclav Cerny restored Besiktas’ lead in the 56th minute with a curling finish. Amir Murillo, previously with Marseille, then headed in from a corner to make it 3-1. Ernest Poku completed the scoring in the 81st minute after finding space behind the Marseille defence.

The defeat extends Marseille’s losing streak into European competition and places added pressure on the team before the next international break, which will last three weeks after the upcoming fixtures. Defender Ulisses Garcia said the side had been too open during transitions and acknowledged that Marseille are going through a difficult period, while insisting the players would continue fighting until the break.