At the end of the night, OM are eliminated by Panathinaikos

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By: Manu Tournoux

At the end of the night, OM are eliminated by Panathinaikos

Despite a generally controlled match, OM lost on penalties against Panathinaikos and were eliminated from the Champions League.

The stage was set so that theOlympic Marseille long live a great European evening. Defeated (1-0) by the Panathinaikos during the 3th preliminary round first leg of the Champions League last week, the Olympians received the Greek team in a boiling and cracking Stade Vélodrome, ready to ignite at the slightest spark.

Aubameyang opens his counter

And it only took him a few seconds, 87 to be exact, to explode on the first goal of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Marseille jersey. Launched in depth by Sarr, the Gabonese made his speed speak before eliminating the goalkeeper and scoring in the empty goal. After barely two minutes of play, Marcelino’s men have already caught up.

A goal that galvanizes the locals, much more incisive and aggressive than going into the pressing and which continues to move forward. On an individual feat, Iliman N’Diaye is very close to doubling the lead but sees his shot just miss the target (11th). The Phocaeans continue to get chances through N’Diaye (21th), leg of the head (31th) or Jonathan Clauss (32th) but see their attempts repelled by Alberto Brignoli or just miss the target. It was finally in stoppage time that the Marseille offensives were to be rewarded, on a perfect cross from Jonathan Clauss, Aubameyang took over with a touch and scored a double. At the end of a perfectly dominated first half (60% possession, 15 shots to 1), OM logically lead 2-0.

On returning from the locker room, the Azureans continued to push and even thought of increasing the score on a delicious exterior from Aubameyang taken over by Ismaïla Sarr, finally signaled in an offside position. In the second act, the Greeks manage to get their heads above water but are still struggling to approach the goal kept by Pau Lopez, very quiet in his area until a big chance from Sebastian Palacios at a quarter of an hour of the term, whose shot goes just wide of the goal. In the aftermath, Tin Jedvaj forces the Spanish goalkeeper to a decisive save on a close range header.

OM is scared

Having just entered the game, Vitinha narrowly missed putting his team to safety on a center from Renan Lodi and saw his recovery fly away in the stands. (81th) By dint of not driving the point home, OM play to scare themselves and Pau Lopez is forced into a new parry on a strike from Bernard to maintain a two-goal lead (85th).

Jostled at the end of the match, Marcelino’s men conceded a penalty following a handball by Mattéo Guendouzi, which was checked for a long time by the VAR. The sanction is transformed by Fotis Ioannidis, whose goal sends the two teams into extra time, while OM could have benefited from a penalty on the previous action. (2-1)

OM wasted no time in proving dangerous with an attempt by Clauss which went wide. In the 104th minute, Vitinha again had the chance to score but saw the Pana defender repel his attempt following a tumble from Jordan Veretout. Dominating during extra time, the Marseillais took a two-goal lead thanks to Vitinha which takes a cross from Guendouzi at the far post… Finally canceled for an offside by Ismaïla Sarr on the center. The Portuguese striker is once again close to finding the fault two minutes from time, but his recovery on another cross from Lodi touches the frame. As the penalty session draws near, Marcelino decided to start Sergio Blanco instead of Pau Lopez for the penalty session.

Unfortunately, the session turned to the advantage of the Greeks with a miss from Mattéo Guendouzi at the start of the session and a clear round from Pana who won the session 5-3. Terrible disappointment for OM who, despite a full match and controversial refereeing, saw their place in the Champions League slip away.

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Manu Tournoux

Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team. As an author for the website, Manu's expertise includes not only in-depth analysis of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches but also insightful profiles of up-and-coming talents, detailed transfer news, and engaging coverage of the French national team. His captivating writing style and undeniable passion for the game have earned him a loyal following among our readers. When he's not crafting engaging articles for French Football Weekly, Manu enjoys attending live matches whenever he can, exploring football culture in various French cities, and engaging in spirited debates with fellow fans. Feel free to follow Manu on Twitter and interact with him as he shares his expert opinions, insights, and love for French football.

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