Marseille vs Rennes. French Ligue 1.
Stade VelodromeAttendance40,077.
Friday 18 March 2016 22:58, UK
Former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby made his first competitive appearance in nearly 18 months as a substitute in Marseille's 5-2 defeat to Rennes on Friday.
The 29-year-old last featured in a competitive game for Arsenal on September 23, 2014 due to a string of injury issues.
However, he came off the bench with 12 minutes remaining as Marseille were soundly beaten at home by Rennes.
Marseille fans showed their frustration at their team as some supporters clashed with police and others were held back from getting on the pitch.
Yoann Gourcuff opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a close-range header and then goals from Fallou Diagne, with a header, and Ousmane Dembele, with a shot from outside the area, saw Rennes leading 3-0 after just 15 minutes .
Florian Thauvin responded for Marseille in the 20th minute and when Rolando scored their second five minutes into the second half Rennes were under pressure.
Gourcuff again gave them a two-goal advantage in the 59th minute, however, and Giovanni Sio secured victory in the 77th.
The victory sees Rennes move a point ahead of Nice, who could reclaim third spot with a win over Gazalec Ajaccio, while leaving Marseille in 10th but at risk of ending the weekend in the bottom half.
