Salvation at the end of the penalty shootout. After losing 2-1 in the first leg to Benfica Lisbon, Olympique Marseille cruised to the end of the night to secure qualification to the Europa League semi-finals.
They won 1-0 in regular time before settling the result (4-2) on penalties on Thursday, April 18. The Phocaeans will try to continue their European adventure against Atalanta Bergamo on May 2-9.
Marseille and the Velodrome believed in him until the end
Marseille were trailing but not behind at the start of the game, and would have pretty much believed in their chances of qualifying, with just one goal to come back at the Stade Velodrome. Jean-Louis Gasset's men, as always attracted by a fired-up crowd, managed to control the game from the right side, but they faltered against the Portuguese for a long time.
It was Knight Mombanya, who returned after the hour mark, who came on to provide Marseille with a goal of hope in the 79th minute. However, the Olympians then failed to capitalize on this positive momentum, even putting themselves in danger in extra time against Angel Di Maria's team-mates. The former Paris Saint-Germain player, who scored the first-leg goal, missed a penalty kick this time, just like Antonio Silva, condemning his team and offering happiness to the people of Marseille.
Mombagna, the surprise hero
He may not have been the hero Marseille imagined, having only scored three goals this season for Marseille (two in the league, one in the Europa League). But it was Faris Mumbanya who came forward to provide the decisive goal for the Olympic team that had been thwarted by Benfica for almost 80 minutes.
In the 79th minute, the Cameroonian scored with a header, receiving a cross from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, sending the two teams into extra time. When he returned twenty minutes early, he was dressed as an unexpected man of Providence.
Atalanta Bergamo to the semi-finals
The Phocaeans are in the quarter-finals of C3 for the first time since 2018, and will face Atalanta Bergamo, which did not flinch against Liverpool (1-0 defeat) after crushing the Reds in the first leg (3-0).
This will be the first confrontation between the two teams. Atalanta has previously faced French clubs twice: Lyon in the group stage of the Europa League in 2017 and Paris Saint-Germain, who beat them in the Champions League Final 8 in 2020.
