Marseille star Ruslan Malinovskyi was over the moon after scoring the screamer that saw OM knock arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain out of the Coupe de France 2-1 in their round of 16 clash at the Vélodrome on Wednesday night.
It was a tough night at the office for PSG as they travelled south to the Orange Vélodrome, with Marseille piling on the pressure all match and reaping the rewards as they ran out 2-1 winners thanks to Malinovskyi's thunderous effort just before the hour-mark.
'We deserved the win'
"It was an incredible match and an incredible atmosphere too," the match-winner, who arrived during the winter transfer window and who now has two goals in two games. "It's special, we know it's the Clasico of France. We were very motivated for this match, we wanted to give the maximum and I think we deserved the win."
Tension
In an atmosphere pumped up to white-hot levels by fans dreaming of a first home win over their eternal rivals in in two years, Igor Tudor's side were good value for the 1-0 lead when Alexis Sanchez rifled home from the spot following an Achraf Hakimi hand-ball in the area (31').
Sergio Ramos levelled matters, however, with an authoritative glancing header in first-half injury-time (45'+2), but Marseille continued to pile the pressure on the excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG goal and got their reward when Malinovskyi blasted home a rebound from just outside the area (57').
'Today, we saw everyone fighting for this great victory'
"The atmosphere, the fans... it was fabulous," beamed Malinovskyi, whose popularity at the Vélodrome will doubtless soar after his epic performance. "The fans pushed us and this victory is for them. They have been waiting for a long time for a win against this opponent at home. We gave everything, and I want to say thank you to the whole team, those on and off the pitch. We are a team, it doesn't matter who plays and who doesn't, we have to stay together. We work for one result, we have to fight for that result. Today, we saw everyone fighting for this great victory."
The result was a welcome one for Marseille, who crumbled 3-1 against Nice at the weekend, but who otherwise have been riding a wave of form that has seen them emerge as serious contenders for a Champions League finish.
On the front foot
"There are still games to go, and we have to wait for the draw for the next round," continued the Ukrainian, whose side face Clermont in the league this weekend. "We will keep preparing in the same way as against Paris with the same concentration and the same state of mind on the pitch."
The Coupe de France quarter-finals will be played on 1 March.
