PLAYER RATINGS | Marseille 1-1 Lille (LOSC wins 4-3 on penalties) – The Olympians exit the Coupe de France

The Stade Vélodrome, in a frosty atmosphere, hosted an all-Ligue 1 clash in the round of 32 of the Coupe de France, where two ambitious teams looking to qualify for the Champions League faced off in this historic competition. “You have to beat the big teams to win the Cup,” Roberto De Zerbi said at a press conference before the match. Having knocked out Saint-Étienne in the previous round, a clash against Lille represented a good test of both teams’ abilities heading into the second half of the season. OM had to break a curse: The Olympians had never managed to qualify for a Coupe de France match led by referee Clément Turpin.

With very strong teams, both teams were determined to continue their adventure in the Coupe de France. The offensive intention was present from the kick-off. Rabiot’s cross for Greenwood was magnificent, but the Englishman struggled to find his balance and control the ball in the six-yard box, while Lille managed to clear the danger. A high-intensity start to the match immediately set the tone, with each team taking turns taking the initiative to approach the opposing goal. An error offered OM their second big opportunity of the match: Neal Maupay stole the ball from the Lille defense and made a low cross into the area, but Gudmundsson was there to intervene with a saving tackle. Throughout the first period, OM multiplied the opportunities to open the score. Adrien Rabiot even scored a goal after being served one-on-one by Neal Maupay against Mannone, but the referee canceled the goal by sanctioning Maupay for an involuntary handball.

The Mastiffs adopted a more pragmatic approach, but they still managed to create a few chances, with Jonathan David and Rémy Cabella disrupting the OM defense. The latter attempted a strike which did not worry Dutch goalkeeper Jeffrey De Lange too much. Makau then shot over the bar after a great move from Bakker. A Lille corner was cleared towards Mason Greenwood who, thanks to his lightning speed, found himself face to face with the goal, but his too timid strike was pushed away without much difficulty by Mannone. Once again, OM found the net, this time thanks to a lob attempt from Greenwood, but it was deflected by Maupay, subsequently hitting the arm of a Lille defender. The hosts felt the injustice of not opening the score at half-time. However, a moment of deconcentration allowed Lille to open the scoring through Mitchel Bakker, following an error by the Marseille defense. However, Turpin again canceled the goal for… hand, marking the third such offense of the match.

The Mastiffs take the advantagebefore a late outcome at the Vélodrome

The visiting team finally managed to open the scoring at the Vélodrome. David broke through on the right flank on the counter-attack and made a perfect cross for Hakon Haraldsson, who finished easily with his foot, from close range (68th). The Olympians then set about chasing the score at home, and De Zerbi made his first changes by bringing in Bilal Nadir, Jonathan Rowe and Ulisses Garcia. In added time, Greenwood almost scored with a shot that hit the crossbar after a clever routine from a corner. Things looked hopeless for De Zerbi’s side, but then Henrique produced a moment of magic. The Brazilian controlled the ball in the box, penetrated and fired a powerful shot to equalize in the last second.

In accordance with the rules of the Coupe de France, the match immediately continued with a penalty shootout. Greenwood led the way in scoring, followed by Bakker who also made his shot. But a few minutes after tasting the joy of having brought his team back to level terms, Henrique missed his penalty, causing a penalty for OM. Lille then took advantage of this opportunity, succeeding in their four shots on goal, before Jonathan Rowe sealed the fate of the Olympians by missing his penalty, thus offering Lille qualification for the next round. A new year and another early exit from the Cup for OM.

EVALUATIONS OF OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYERS

Jeffrey De Lange – 6

The Dutch goalkeeper achieved the essential.

Amir Murillo – 5

Leonardo Balerdi – 6

Derek Cornelius – 5

Quentin Merlin – 5

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6

Adrien Rabiot – 6

Valentin Rongier – 5

Mason Greenwood – 5

Neal Maupay –

Luis Henrique – 6

LILLE OSC PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Vitor Mannone – 6

Bafode Diakité – 6

Alexsandro – 5

Thomas Meunier – 5

Mitchell Bakker – 7

Benjamin André – 5

N’Gal’ayal Mukau – 6

Gabriel Gudmundsson – 5

Hákon Arnar Haraldsson – 6

Remy Cabella – 7

Jonathan David – 5

GFFN | George Boxall