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Paris Saint-Germain 0 Marseille 0: Champions thwarted in Garcia's first game

Rudi Garcia's first game in charge of Marseille ended in a 0-0 draw with Paris Saint-Germain as his new side frustrated the French champions in Le Classique.

Garcia deployed a five-man defence to starve PSG's array of attacking talent any space, and the approach paid off at a rain-soaked Parc des Princes.

PSG were mainly reduced to half-chances throughout, though top scorer Edinson Cavani missed an absolute sitter in the dying stages to secure three points for his side.

The home crowd grew restless as the game progressed at their side's ponderous build-up play and inability to carve out any real opportunity of note against their big rivals, until a frantic last 10 minutes when PSG could have snatched the game on several occasions. 

Florian Thauvin's persistence carved out Marseille's first opportunity early in the second half, but Bafetimbi Gomis' effort from his cut-back across the area was blocked.

Thiago Motta and Maxwell combined well on 66 minutes to find Di Maria's well-timed burst into the box, but the Argentine winger speared his effort wide of Pele's near post.

PSG attempted to crank up the pressure in the later stages, as Cavani first found space to meet a free-kick into the box to connect cleanly with a header, but could only direct it over the bar, before being denied by a sliding challenge at the near post from Serge Aurier's cross.

Cavani missed the game's best chance to sum up PSG's evening with just eight minutes to go, as a cross into the area evaded Pele and found the PSG forward two yards out from goal, only for him to remarkably divert the ball wide.

That allowed Marseille to breathe a collective sigh of relief as they clung on for a valuable point to begin Garcia's reign.