Le Classique is the big one. This is the fiercest rivalry in French football. A true battle of north versus south, and it's the south we find ourselves in for the latest edition in our 'Framed' series, at Marseille's Orange Vélodrome, as Paris Saint-Germain were greeted by a pyro party of war zone vibes.
On the same weekend that El Clásico was being contested over the border, there was only one fixture being talked about in France as the two biggest cities went head to head in a modern rivalry that packs far more punch. El Clasico is a tourist attraction, Le Classique is pure footballing passion. With an atmosphere that ignites hours before kick off, Le Classique is tension, it's volume, it's a fixture when you don't necessarily feel safe at all times, and that's exciting.
Marseille were the big dogs in France in a pre-PSG era, until the Parisians formed in 1970. As PSG have steam-rolled and bank-rolled themselves to the top, this rivalry has added more fuel to the fire. Marseille hungry to put history back on track, and PSG keen to provoke that bitterness with an attempt to establish themselves as French football's boss.
Thousands of Marseille fans lined the streets outside the glow of the Orange Vélodrome to give the PSG squad their own special welcome. Call it what you want; intimidation, anger, pride. Whatever it is, it made for a damn impressive display of pre-match scenery.
On the pitch it was the visitors who backed up their pre-match favourites tag. Second half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Julian Draxler sent the bragging rights back to the capital, and extinguished the Marseille flares. Without doubt one of the most underrated rivalries in world football. A real hatred, a real atmosphere, with deafening vocals in an arena built for maximum volume.
Photography by Alex Penfornis for SoccerBible.
