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Europa League: Is there any discomfort with French clubs?

2020-10-21T22:21:51.570Z


The Europa League as we know it started in the 2009-2010 season. In this competition with now 48 teams, supposed to breathe new life into an aging C3, the French clubs will have generally shone by their lack of enthusiasm. A look back at a complicated decade ...


2009 - 2010: Fernando Torres buries the hopes of Lille d'Hazard

The first edition of the brand new "Europa League", former UEFA Cup renamed after absorption of Intertoto Cup, Lille stops in eighth by taking a double from Torres and a goal from Gerrard at Anfield responding to a goal from Eden Hazard in the first leg (3-1 cumulative).

Similar fate for Olympique de Marseille, drafted from the Champions League, eliminated on a goal from Alan Kardec for Benfica in stoppage time (3-2 cumulative score).

The course was shorter for Toulouse, third in a group comprising defending champion Shaktar Donetsk

2010 -2011: Paris stops in eighths

While Montpellier came out in the third round of qualifying by the Hungarians of Gyor, it is a PSG winner of the last Coupe de France who goes the furthest by coming out of a dam then a group made up of Sevilla and Dortmund before falling in eighth against Benfica, already executioner of OM at the same stage the previous year.

Lille did not do better, eliminated in the round of 16 by PSV.

2011 - 2012: Nobody passes the hens

Marvin Martin's Sochaux, surprising fifth in Ligue 1, saw his career stop in the play-offs after a slap received at the Stade Bonal on their return against Metalist Kharkov (0-4), demonstrating a more important cutting culture in Ukraine.

A disillusion announcing a bad vintage since Rennes (last of its group with the future winner Atletico Madrid) and PSG (eliminated on goal difference by Salzburg) will not pass the cut.

2012-2013: Marseille unable to beat the Moldovans of Tiraspol

Bordeaux and Lyon pass the hens before quickly packing up.

In the sixteenth for the last cities, Lyon suffering the lightning of Gareth Bale (doubled on free kick in the first leg).

In the round of 16 for Bordeaux, against the bête noire which hangs a new victim on his hunting board at this stage of the competition.

Marseille had stopped at the hens, taking only one point against the Moldovans of Sheriff Tiraspol.

2013 - 2014: Lyon sees the quarters

Nice and Saint-Etienne stop at the dams stadium, pitifully eliminated by the Cypriots of Apollo Limassol for the former and then by the Danes of Esbjerg (never seen again at this level) for the latter.

If Bordeaux finishes last in its group, Lyon are the first club to pass the eighth but will lose in the quarter in a tempting duel against Juventus Turin.

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2014 - 2015: Lyon hits rock bottom

Only a few months after his quarter against Juventus, the OL of Rémi Garde scuttled completely against the unknown Romanian of Astra Giorgiu in the play-offs.

Lille and Saint-Etienne are not doing much better and finish last in their groups, respectively behind Krasnodar (a club which was created two years earlier) and the Azeris of Qarabag, just as unknown to the battalion.

Winner of the previous Coupe de France, only Guingamp will do well despite his limited resources, coming out of the pool of Fiorentina before going out in the next round against Dynamo Kiev despite a 2-1 victory at Roudourou in the 'to go.

2015 - 2016: Bordeaux last of its group

The following edition does not inspire more celebration after the eliminations in the round of 16 of Marseille against Bilbao and Saint-Etienne against FC Basel due to the away goal rule.

In the group stage, Monaco finished 3rd in their group behind Tottenham and Anderlecht while Bordeaux never seemed involved, finishing last behind modest Sion and Kazan.

2016 - 2017: Lyon begins to improve

Reversed from the Champions League (third in its group), Lyon is once again the team that blows up the French glass ceiling by reaching the semi-finals.

A catastrophic first leg in Amsterdam (4-1) and a festival of missed opportunities on the return trip (3-1) got the better of OL's final ambitions, which had crushed Alkmaar (11-2 overall) before d 'rule out Roma and then Besiktas on penalties.

This edition of the Europa League started badly with the elimination in the 3rd preliminary round of Lille against the Azeris of Qabala while Saint-Etienne was struck down by Zlatan (treble in the first leg) in the round of 16 against Manchester United.

2017 - 2018: The epic of Marseille

Marseille is to date the French club with the most beautiful course in the Europa League.

At the end of a memorable journey that started in the second preliminary round, OM rule out Leipzig then Salzburg in memorable scenarios.

The partners of captain Dimitri Payet will finally lose in the final against Atletico Madrid Antoine Griezmann, author of a double (3-0).

A final which took place in the Stade de Lyon, which did not sufficiently motivate the Lyonnais, eliminated in eighth in their den against CSKA Moscow after winning in the first leg.

Much earlier, the Bordelais had been taken out in the third preliminary round by the Hungarians of Videoton (now MOL Fehervar), customary because they eliminated Reims at this same stage of the competition this year.

2018 - 2019: Rennes offers itself a (small) enchanted parenthesis

Rennes prolongs the nascent enthusiasm of French clubs for the C3 by signing a spectacular elimination phase.

Dismissing Sevilla Betis (6-4 overall), the Rennais of a found Ben Arfa play Arsenal in the first leg in the eighth (3-1) before surrendering a week later in London (3- 0).

The Bretons will have especially had the merit of avoiding a 0 point on the French side after the inglorious eliminations of Bordeaux and especially Marseille (last with a point behind Limassol).

2019 - 2020: A victory in 12 matches for Rennes and Saint-Etienne

Recent winner of the Coupe de la Ligue, Strasbourg discovered the C3 but stopped in the play-offs after a 3-0 defeat in Frankfurt, recent semi-finalist of the competition.

For the first time since the 2011 - 2012 edition, no French club is at the rendezvous of the knockout phase after the 4 points each of Rennes (a victory, the only one of 12 matches for the French) and Saint -Etienne, unable to beat the Ukrainians of Oleksandria, rookies at this level.

Read also

  • Schedules, favorites, French clubs ... All about the Europa League

  • Tops / Flops Olympiakos-Marseille: decisive Valbuena, Payet without brilliance

  • Beaten in Piraeus, OM misses their return to the Champions League

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2020-10-21

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