3-0 drubbing of Turkish side, Eskisehirspor at Stade Parsemain puts the Ligue 1 side into the next round as the previous leg ended in a 1-1 draw.
The 4-1 aggregate result is a good omen for Les Phoceens who open their domestic campaign against Reims on Sunday.
Marseille has been caught in a midst of problems after the current national team coach parted ways with the 10th seeded French outfit amidst the pending uncertainty looming in the air about the likely futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Loic Remy.
The financial plight of the club might force the club to losing out on its key players, the loss of the two might not be replaceable with similar talent.
However, these pending concerns of the manager were put to backburner as the club’s task was to see off the visitors in an emphatic manner at Istres. The recent preparations and trainings under the new manager paid immediate dividends as the 1993 Champions
league winners made a flying start.
From the moment the whistle was blown, it seemed a one-sided encounter, as the French side kept the domination. And, it did not take Les Phoceens long to make a breakthrough as Andre Ayew slotted home inside just seven minutes.
The short free-kick from Benoit Cheyrou from the right was played to Morgan Amalfitano. The 27-year-old’s subsequent efforts were blocked by the resilient Ruud Boffin but the denial to Morgan made the ball to come into the Ghana International’s path as he
slotted home the first of the three goals.
Amidst staggering display by Elie Baup’s eleven, it was understood that another goal was in the making. It was not long before the 26-year-old, Andre-Pierre Gignac, on an inventive cross from Mathieu Valbuena, fired the home-side further ahead with a thundering
volley, piercing back of the net. By then, 36 minutes of the first half had gone past, with the home-side on a 2-0 lead.
As a consequence of the fragile offensive unit and the inability of the visitors to produce something vigorous, Steve Mandanda was substituted. 20 minutes past the 2nd half and the home-side was impossible to catch as Andre Ayew, the man already
on score-sheet, nodded home a low right wing’s cross from Morgan Amalfitano.
The only woe for Marseille on the match day were the two yellow-cards showed to Benoit Cheyrou in short bursts, by referee Artur Soares Dias, ending the night of the 31-year-old from Suresnes. The booking as a result will exempt the playmaker from participating
in the next match.
Ten-man Marseille were being less attacking as they were before the booking, and comfortably killed time. The result means a staggering 4-1 aggregate win for the club as they make their way to the next round dashing hopes of the Turkish side to progress.
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