Marseille striker Mason Greenwood found himself at the center of a heated exchange with Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings during Saturday’s friendly at the Stade Vélodrome, with new details emerging about what sparked Mings’ reaction.
Both Greenwood, 23, and Mings, 32, were named in the starting lineups as Marseille secured a 3-1 win. Greenwood opened the scoring just five minutes into the match, only for John McGinn to equalize moments later. ..Continue Reading
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, formerly of Arsenal and Chelsea, then struck twice late on to seal the victory, turning what was expected to be a routine fitness exercise into a tense affair.
In the 87th minute, Greenwood clashed with Villa midfielder Amadou Onana, committing a foul before shoving him and exchanging heated words.
Mings intervened swiftly, grabbing Greenwood as tempers flared and players from both teams rushed in to diffuse the situation.
Following the match, Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi revealed that Aston Villa boss Unai Emery had voiced concerns over the conduct of the home side’s players.
“He complained to my players. I prefer that he takes care of his players, and I take care of mine,” De Zerbi said.
“The match was heated, it’s good that it’s like that, people paid to come to the Vélodrome, when they could have gone to the beach, we have to respect them. We should have been more aggressive from the start.
“We have to go there with the same attitude, not act without commitment. Tomorrow (Sunday) morning, we train, no time to have fun or make ourselves look pretty.”
It was initially unclear why Mings reacted in the way he did, but a report from The Sun has since stated “Greenwood is claimed to have spat” at Onana, who held his face during his feud with the Englishman despite the duo being stood a fair distance apart at the time.
Disciplinary action is unlikely due to the game being a friendly, and UEFA has no jurisdiction over the match.
Aston Villa will return to action in their Premier League opener against Newcastle United at Villa Park on Saturday, while Marseille kick off their Ligue 1 season away at Rennes on Friday.
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