Olympique de Marseille had the slimmest of chances of playing their troubled Champions League campaign into a Europa League knockout-round berth, but the 3-0 defeat away to Manchester City on Wednesday means no more Europe for OM this season.
OM's domestic and European campaigns have been like chalk and cheese this season and Wednesday night's trip to Etihad Stadium conformed the trend. After beating Nîmes comfortably on Friday and moving up to fourth on the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table - four points shy of leaders PSG with two matches in hand - they fell to their fifth defeat in six European outings this campaign, once against getting on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline again City.
Ferran Torres (48'), Sergio Agüero (77') and an own-goal from Alvaro Gonzalez (90', o.g.) did the damage as OM struggled to find a way through City's tight press and lightning transitions, and the 3-0 scoreline was more than enough to ensure that OM would not pip Olympiacos to third place on goal difference.
AVB: 'This experience should serve us well'
"The first and third goals represent everything we were lacking in this Champions League campaign. We had a lot of bad luck and there were also a lot of mistakes," admitted OM boss André Villas-Boas. "We have taken a lot of lessons from these six matches, it is not normal. This experience should serve us well."
OM's first post-European test will be a doozie, with in-form Mediterranean rivals AS Monaco coming calling at the Orange Vélodrome fore the Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 14 clash on Saturday evening.
(Photo: OM.net)
