Marseille oust Inter Milan after late drama
Reuters - Tuesday 13 March 2012, 23:12
Olympique Marseille served
up more late drama when they reached the Champions League last
eight for the first time since winning the trophy in 1993 after
an action-packed last 20 minutes haunted Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Substitute Brandao scored in stoppage-time to send the
French side sneaking through on away goals after a 2-1 loss at
Inter earned a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Marseille had also snatched the first leg thanks to a
stoppage-time header from Andre Ayew.
On Tuesday, Diego Milito's scrappy goal 15 minutes from time
had given Inter hope after the hosts had huffed and puffed
before finally breaching Marseille's defence.
The ball bobbled around in the box like a pinball before the
Argentine striker prodded home.
Brandao, who spent most of last year on loan in his native
Brazil before returning in January because of an injury crisis,
then exposed Inter's defence when he turned on a long ball and
confidently netted.
There was even time for Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda
to be sent off for a foul in the box and Giampaolo Pazzini to
score from the 96th-minute penalty.
The spot-kick did nothing to change the outcome though and
Marseille boss Didier Deschamps could not stop smiling after
easing the pressure with his team labouring in eighth in Ligue
1.
"We had difficult moments, we couldn't score but when I put
him on Brandao said to me: 'I am going to score, I am sure,'"
Deschamps told reporters.
"To be in the Champions League quarters is fabulous. It will
be a bit mad in Marseille," added the former Juventus coach,
whose side meet Olympique Lyon in the French League Cup final
next month and are also in the French Cup quarter-finals.
Inter boss Claudio Ranieri, who followed Deschamps as Juve
boss in 2007, could not believe his side had failed to progress
and his position could now be in jeopardy after a string of poor
results.
"The team could not have given any more even if we could
have had a little more luck. It is always the coach's fault,
however, we are paid to take the blame," Ranieri said.
"We have been condemned and I think unjustly, we created
more chances in the 180 minutes but this is football, the ugliness
and beauty of football."
POOR FORM
Inter won their first game in 10 matches in all competitions
on Friday when they beat Chievo 2-0 away in Serie A while
Marseille had lost all four Ligue 1 games and not scored a goal
since the first leg.
The hosts had the first glut of chances at an apprehensive
San Siro when Wesley Sneijder's shot from close range was
somehow saved by Mandanda, who soon after brilliantly blocked
Diego Milito's chested effort from point-blank range.
Marseille, playing in red, gradually grew into the game and
a Loic Remy effort flew just wide before Jeremy Morel fired past
the post and Souleymane Diawara's header almost crept in.
With Inter boss Ranieri desperate for goals, he replaced the
limping Sneijder and ineffective Diego Forlan with Joel Obi and
Pazzini just before the hour mark and the ploy looked to have
worked until the late flurry of activity.
Substitute Esteban Cambiasso could have put Inter 2-0 up in
normal-time before Brandao struck but he nodded over from four
metres out.
Struggling Inter - 2010 European champions - are already out
of the Italian Cup and stand seventh in Serie A, eight points
behind the third and final Champions League berth.