By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria winger Moses Simon scored his first goal for Paris FC, but it proved a mere consolation as the newly promoted side slumped to a 5-2 defeat against Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Trailing 2-1 at halftime, Paris FC drew level in the 58th minute when Simon latched onto Ilan Kebbal’s assist and fired home with a powerful effort.
The equalizer marked the Nigerian international’s first goal since joining the capital club this summer.
However, Marseille responded ruthlessly, scoring three times in the final half-hour to seal a comfortable win. Simon was substituted shortly after his goal, with Jean-Philippe Krasso taking his place.
Despite the setback, Paris FC showed flashes of quality. Wilson Isidor Geubbels struck the post, Kebbal netted a fine curling effort, and Simon looked lively before being withdrawn.
The result leaves Stéphane Gilli’s men without a point after two games, following their narrow opening-day loss to 10-man Angers. They sit in the relegation zone and must quickly find form to avoid an early-season battle for survival.
Paris FC return to action on Saturday with a home clash against Metz, where Simon will look to build on his scoring start.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
