OM did it! Beaten in the first leg (1-2) and stammering for a long time, Marseille finally overthrew Benfica (1-0 after, 4-2 on penalties), Thursday in the quarter-final second leg of the Europa League. A goal from incoming Faris Moumbagna (80th) propelled the Phocaeans into extra time, before winning on penalties, at the end of an unbreathable night.
Moribund in the championship (ninth with a game in hand), OM therefore continues its season with two faces and will challenge Atalanta, defeater of Liverpool (3-0, 0-1) for its first C3 semi-final since 2018 The Marseillais, exhausted at the end of the match, can thank Angel Di Maria. Failing against Pau Lopez (98th), the usual executioner of French clubs missed his attempt during the penalty shootout. The Spanish goalkeeper also saved Antonio Silva's shot on goal. Quite the opposite of Marseillais, skillful and who converted their four attempts despite fatigue and pressure.
A match ended on the knees and with two kittens
The hero of the competition, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10 goals so far), did not score in the game. But it's just like that, since the Gabonese, once again above the rest, distilled a caviar from the left on which Moumbagna fed to put the two teams back on an equal footing over the two matches. Aubameyang then came close to a legendary goal, but his lob grazed the Portuguese top corner (101st).
Marseille has long dreamed of this happy ending. Deliberate but too rarely dangerous, the Olympians struggled to really worry Anatoliy Trubin. On the rare shots on target (four before Moumbagna's goal), the Ukrainian goalkeeper won, ahead of Illiman Ndiaye (8th), Geoffrey Kondogbia (69th) or Jordan Veretout (65th), despite an initial handball. For the rest, OM showed that it was not ninth in Ligue 1 by chance and made numerous technical errors and other bad choices. Weighed down by his injuries (Jonathan Clauss, Valentin Rongier, Ismaïla Sarr or Quentin Merlin), Marseille finished with a very overhauled team, which included two youngsters, Gaël Lafont and Raimane Daou, and a cramped and exhausted Jordan Veretout.
Cruel disillusionment for Lille
Despite these handicaps, OM found the extra spirit to continue its European epic. In this game, the Phocaeans were helped by a very pale Benfica team and by an inspired Pau Lopez, ahead of Rafa Silva (74th) and Angel Di Maria (98th). Not far from being miraculous, as they were at Villarreal (1-3, 4-0 in the first leg) in the previous round, the Marseillais continue their epic. Themselves beaten on penalties against Panathinaikos in the third preliminary round of the Champions League in August, the Olympians made up for it in the exercise. “We are very happy, especially for the supporters,” confides Pau Lopez at the microphone of M6. It's a complicated season for everyone, the supporters deserve that. I'm happy for the team's work. We had young players, we gave everything, happy for everyone. It's a complicated season, but we are doing very well in the Europa League. »
Lille cannot say the same. A few minutes earlier, Losc suffered a cruel disappointment by losing to Aston Villa on penalties (1-2, 2-1 ap, 3-4 on penalties) in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League . Losc, dominant as in the first leg, held on to qualification until the 87th minute. But the Mastiffs came up against Emiliano Martinez, once again the executioner of the French. Scolded throughout the game, the Argentinian took great pleasure in diverting two Lille attempts during the session.