At the end of the Marseille night, it was necessary to appreciate the shock of the Vélodrome following Luis Henrique's successful penalty shootout against Benfica (1-0 after, 4-2 on penalties), to see the relief of an entire club, of players, supporters, managers and technical staff. After several months of hardship, tension and agitation, Jean-Louis Gasset's men offered a nice dose of happiness to their public, little spoiled since the start of the year, by qualifying for the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Six years after the epic of the Rudi Garcia gang concluded with a setback in the C3 final against Atlético de Madrid (0-3), and only two springs after a Europa Conference League semi-final against Feyenoord, OM returns to the last four of a European Cup. At the beginning of May (first leg in Marseille on the 2nd, return to Italy on the 9th), the partners of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, decisive passer for Faris Moumbagna on Thursday evening, will battle with Atalanta Bergamo, surprise scorer of Liverpool. The poster is balanced. Enough to hint at the sweet dream of qualifying for the final on May 22 in Dublin, against AS Roma or Bayer Leverkusen.
“We dream of everything, it’s an epic unfolding”
In a post-match press conference, the blue and white coach admitted his ambition: “We dream of everything. We dream of these evenings. It’s a competition that suits us well. We beat Shakhtar here, we beat Villarreal who are a very good team, we eliminate Benfica who are a third-ranked opponent, with a remodeled team, with players who make the sacrifice of playing in positions that are not the their. » Before adding: “You are a semi-finalist in a European Cup having eliminated three titled clubs. It’s an epic unfolding. One season, she judges herself at the end. We're here, it's the third round that I've been through personally. We want to go as far as possible. »
Inducted on February 20, the former assistant to Laurent Blanc at PSG managed to extend the good momentum of his troops in the European Cup. In difficulty in Ligue 1, the Olympians appear more liberated and cheerful on a continental scale where the coin seems to fall on the right side since September 2023. Against the Ukrainians - opposing equalizer in added time in the first leg (2-2) , the Spaniards - very close to the comeback - and the Portuguese - victorious 2-1 at the Estadio da Luz -, the Provençals each time went through difficult times but were able to draw on their resources to reverse the course of destiny.
“We know that it is vital for the club and especially in a complicated league season, that was what could save our season,” enthused Amine Harit in the mixed zone. We give them (the public) happiness despite this difficult season and I hope that we will continue because honestly, I don't know about you but I don't want to be satisfied with that. Especially when I see what we were able to experience this evening. »
Atalanta, a final pass before Dublin
The hero of the evening, Pau Lopez, although often criticized in Marseille, supported: “I am very happy with the qualification. It was a difficult match. We had a lot of problems, injured or tired players. We won as a team. (…) The players showed a lot of personality, they gave everything, played as they train. In such a complicated season, we deserved that. But the season doesn't end there. »
After a full week of rest, the matches will once again take place at a frantic pace. In one week, Marseille will travel to Toulouse on Sunday before receiving Nice on April 24 then Lens on the 28th. Then it will be time to meet the current 6th in Serie A, author of a good overall season despite some air holes and renowned for its polished football (3-4-1-2 system) thanks to master technician Gian Piero Gasperini. A serious candidate for the final victory in short, and undoubtedly favorite against OM... who dream of continuing their epic like a real breath of fresh air.