Marseille reach new low with French Cup loss
Reuters - Tuesday 20 March 2012, 22:08
Olympique Marseille hit a new
low when they were knocked out of the French Cup quarter-finals
3-2 after extra time at third division Quevilly on Tuesday.
Goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano, who will deputise for the
suspended Steve Mandanda when Marseille take on Bayern Munich at
the Stade Velodrome in a Champions League quarter-final next
week, failed to deal with a high ball, allowing Johan Christophe
Ayina to poke the ball into the empty net in the 119th minute.
Marseille, who dropped to ninth in Ligue 1 after five
consecutive defeats, twice came from behind thanks to France
striker Loic Remy but Bracigliano's blunder cost them a place in
the last four.
At Caen's Michel d'Ornano stadium, where the game was played
to allow more fans, a minute's silence was observed before
kick-off in memory of the seven people killed in three separate
shootings in one week in Montauban and Toulouse.
The hosts went ahead on six minutes when Julien Valero
volleyed home from a free-kick.
Marseille came close shortly before the break but Issa
Coulibaly pulled off a lightning-quick save to punch away Rod
Fanni's deflected cross.
Marseille replaced midfielder Charles Kabore with Ghana
forward Andre Ayew, whose bicycle-kick in the 56th minute went
just over the bar.
Remy came on for Brandao to inject some pace and
it paid off five minutes from time when the France striker found
the back of the net from close range after latching on to an
Andre Ayew header, sending the tie into extra time.
Ayina scored with a fine volley in the 111th minute, only
for Remy to equalise again from close range one minute later but
the hosts eventually clinched a deserved victory.
On Wednesday, Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain take on
Olympique, Montpellier travel to third division GFCO Ajaccio and
Valenciennes host Stade Rennes.