Definitely, Marseille has more trouble with the teams of N2 (4th division) than L1 (8 successes in 9 days) since the beginning of November… Two weeks after its success at the end of the suspense in the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France against Trélissac in Limoges (1-1 after extra time, 5-4 on penalties), OM experienced the worst difficulties to overcome this Friday at the Ornano stadium in Caen for Granville fans (0-3 ) - reduced to 10 to 15 minutes from the end - in the 16th final. Perhaps the Marseillais were marked by the media outing Wednesday during the press conference of their coach André Villas-Boas who put his future on hold for next season. The Portuguese was moved by the arrival of an adviser to President Jacques-Henri Eyraud (the Englishman Paul Aldridge, former sports director of West Ham) and also worried about the club's desire to sell players.
Faced with 8th in group B of N2, the dolphin of PSG in L1 attacks the meeting foot to the floor but the head of Germain just misses the frame (3rd) then Rongier's attempt is saved thanks to a superb defensive intervention by Benyahya (8e). A volley from the same Rongier then passes close to the post (11th). Marseille then finds it more difficult to approach the Norman goalkeeper Baltus. The former goalkeeper of Ivry, trained in Auxerre, intervenes before long shots from Payet (26th), Kamara (30th), Lopez (33rd) and Strootman (53rd). The Normans are round back then narrowly miss the opening of the score on a header from Akueson (38th) and a shot in the surface of Sea (57th). The entry of goleador Benedetto after returning from the locker room did not change much for the Marseilles at first, even if a shot from the Argentinian was brilliantly diverted by Baltus (72nd).
Sea Expulsion Stuns Normans
The turning point of the match comes 15 minutes from the end with the expulsion of the Normand Sea for a second yellow card. In the next minute, the Spanish defender Gonzales took the opportunity to open the scoring (0-1, 76th). Radonjic doubled the lead in the wake of a great strike in the 18th (0-2, 82nd). The match is folded. As in 2016 (1-0 victory in the quarter-final), OM put an end to the great adventure of Granville fans in the Coupe de France and also spared a new controversy by ceding its share of the proceeds to the Normans.
MATCH SHEET
GRANVILLE (N2) - MARSEILLE (L1) : 0-3 (0-0). Spectators: 20,000. Referee: M. Gautier.
Goals . Gonzales (76th), Radonjic (82nd), Payet (90th + 1)
Warnings. Granville: Sea (10th), Ehua (66th): Marseille: Sanson (17th), Sakai (47th), Strootman (59th), Gonzales (71st).
Expulsion. Granville: Sea (75th).
Granville : Baltus - Behma, Akueson, Benyahya, Ehua - Mouaddib (Chauvin, 89th), T. Théault (cap.), Kottoy, R. Théault (Blondel, 72nd), Lamrabette (Martinet, 84th) - Sea. Entr. : Gallon.
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Marseille : Pelé - Sakai (Sarr, 68th), Kamara, Gonzalez, Amavi - Rongier, Strootman, Sanson (Benedetto, 46th) - Lopez, Germain (Radonjic, 79th), Payet (cap.). Entr. : Villas-Boas.