Olympique de Marseille was eliminated in the semi-finals by Atalanta Bergamo

Published on: 05/09/2024 – 23:15Changed: 09/05/2024 – 23:13

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Olympique de Marseille was soundly beaten by Atalanta Bergamo on Thursday 9 May (3-0) and eliminated in the semi-finals of the Europa League, on the brink of the final in Dublin. OM’s European epic ends abruptly in Italy, and Marseillais must quickly return to Ligue 1 where they occupy 9th place.^e space so as not to experience a completely blank season.

Marseille, second last in L1 away, won only one game away from the Stade Vélodrome in the Europa League, against AEK Athens (2-0, November 9).

The last French representatives in the European Cup after the elimination of PSG on Tuesday in the Champions League, Marseillais would still think so. The day before the match, Jean-Louis Gasset, their coach, had hoped for a perfect start from his players and promised “fight and duel”, to ensure his team were ready for the big deadline of the season.

also readEuropa League semi-final OM-Atalanta Bergamo: for Marseille, Europe as the only flame

Nothing happened as he had planned: in the first ten minutes, Marseillais multiplied the approaches, returning the ball too easily to the Atalanta players in their own half.

On the 24th^e minute, after receiving a corner, Gianluca Scamacca found the crossbar of Pau Lopez’s goal before the Spanish OM goalkeeper rescued his team thanks to a save from a Charles De Ketelaere header that followed.

Five minutes later, Pau Lopez was unable to do anything to Ademola Lookman’s shot on the edge of the area, which was played by Geoffrey Kondogbia and Samuel Gigot (1-0, 30)^e).

Scorer, the Nigerian turned into a pass from the start of the second half, Matteo Ruggeri trusted him before fooling Pau Lopez (2-0, 52)^e) to give a definite advantage to “Dea”.

End of the European bracket, focus on the French championship

Lookman wandered from club to club in recent seasons and proved on Thursday the extent to which the reputation of Gian Piero Gasperini, the Bergamo coach, for bolstering players without confidence was not usurped.

With Belgian De Ketelaere, on loan from AC Milan, he was the pitch’s best “Italian”. And the painter El Bilal Touré, also revived by Gasperini, came into play during the second period, finishing OM in extra time (3-0, 90^e+4).

also readClose to the players, often No. 2… Who is Jean-Louis Gasset, the new OM coach?

The enchanted European bracket closed, Marseille must therefore plunge back into the French championship where it has never shone this season. Currently ninth in Ligue 1, with a game less to play, the Marseillais are yet to qualify for any European Cup.

They are even praying that their best enemy, PSG, will win the Coupe de France against Lyon on May 25. This would offer a European ticket to the 7th^e of Ligue 1, a place that OM can still aim for. But it is far from done yet.

With AFP