Jordan Ayew strikes twice to punish former club Olympique Marseille as brother Andre nets consolation goal

Jordan Ayew punished Marseille

By El Akyereko Frimpong
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Ghana striker Jordan Ayew emerged the hero of the night as he bagged a stunning brace to consign his former club Olympique Marseille to a 5-3 defeat in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday. 

While Jordan was netting a brace at Stade Velodrome, his elder brother Andre Ayew grabbed one of the consolation goals for Marseille who lost their fourth game on a row.

Jordan, who was returning to the famous Velodrome for the second time since leaving Marseille last season, raced Lorient into the lead with a 9th minute finish before capping an impressive night with his 11th goal of the season six minutes from time.

Andre had halved the deficit for Marseille in the 58th minute and Jeremy Morel had pecked the scoring moments later.

But an on-fire Jordan kept his brilliant scoring form by ensuring his side restored their lead and eventually win the game before Marcelo Bielsa who deemed him surplus to requirement before the start of the current season.

The result sees Lorient climb out of the relegation zone and up to 13th in the table and leaves Marseille eight points adrift of the summit with only four games remaining.

Jordan, who also scored in December’s reverse fixture against the side that he left in the summer, scored one and supplied another to put the visitors two up inside 13 minutes at Stade Velodrome.

He skilfully volleyed a clever layoff from Romain Philippoteaux into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot from 25 yards, and then headed a free kick back across goal for Francois Bellugou to nod home.

Older sibling Andre Ayew briefly threatened to steal his brother’s thunder when he back-heeled Marseille to within one after Dimitri Payet’s deep 58th-minute free kick had evaded everybody in the area and rebounded off the post.

The hosts were level on 67 minutes when Jeremy Morel powered Payet’s wide delivery past Benjamin Lecomte, but their parity was short lived as Philippoteaux soon drilled into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

Again though Marseille responded as substitute Michy Batshuayi beat the offside trap to divert Alaixys Romao’s lofted pass beyond Lecomte on 76 minutes when no Lorient defender had bothered tracking his run.

However, Jordan Ayew was determined to have the last laugh and put Lorient in front for a third time when he dribbled through several defenders and lifted the ball into the roof of the net six minutes from time.