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Toulouse 1-2 Olympique de Marseille: Brandao Brace Takes OM To Coupe de la Ligue Final
Two hours of play were needed to separate le Tefece and les Phoceens, with an oft-maligned Brazilian the hero for OM...
| Bet: | Returns: | Bourg-Peronnas £100.00 | Draw £50.00 | Marseille £12.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bourg-Peronnas £80.00 | Draw £50.00 | Marseille £12.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Bourg-Peronnas £95.00 | Draw £50.00 | Marseille £12.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Bourg-Peronnas £90.00 | Draw £47.50 | Marseille £13.00 |
|
Feb 3, 2010 10:24:00 PM
By Robin Bairner
Olympique de Marseille’s trophy drought is well documented but may be close to an end after dispatching Toulouse in the Coupe de la Ligue semi-final after extra-time.
Andre-Pierre Gignac was the home side’s scorer, marking a second half that the Pink City club dominated with the opening strike of the encounter. Le Tefece carved out a number of second half opportunities after being well restricted by les Phoceens in the opening 45 minutes. For their part, Marseille mustered only a series of half-chances before Brandao drew them level late in the game. Just before the end of the first period of additional time, the Brazilian struck his decisive second.
The first half was largely a tight affair, though OM certainly had the better of the early exchanges. Stephane Mbia was the first player to strike at goal in anger, though his 11th minute shot rose narrowly over the top. Lucho Gonzalez was next to chance his arm for the visiting side, though ‘El Commandante’s’ 25-yard drive flashed wide of the target.
Both sides displayed some neat football at stages, though neither had a great deal of conviction in the crucial areas of the field. Too often the final pass from both sides went astray, though the defending was also to be commended.
Mathieu Valbuena would be denied by an excellent block, while a simply magnificent challenge from Etienne Capoue frustrated Mamadou Niang as he broke into the box.
A fascinating duel between home defender Mauro Cetto and Brandao would rage throughout. When the attacker finally got the better of his marker two minutes before the break, he managed to pick out Mamadou Niang, whose header from an excellent position was sent off target.
Half-time proved a watershed time as Toulouse regrouped and became the aggressors for much of the second period. Brandao may have drilled a strike narrowly past the top corner of the home goal soon after the restart, but this was not representative of what was to follow.
Finally Toulouse got things right in the offensive sector after fashioning several good situations. Albin Ebondo flew down the right flank and was played in by Capoue. The right-back’s centre was wonderful, picking out Gignac at the back post, presenting the France international with the perfect chance to thump a header into the net – an opening the striker would not pass up.
Had Machado’s touch been surer only a few moments later or had Ebondo elected to pick out Gignac after being released again by Colin Kazim-Kazim, who enjoyed a bright game, le Tefece may have been out of sight.
Marseille had toiled to create anything of note during the second period but were allowed to squirm back into the game with five minutes remaining. Hatem Ben Arfa had come on as a substitute, injecting some much-needed life into OM. A positive burst from the former Olympique Lyonnais youth down the flank created the yard he needed to centre for Brandao, who powered home a levelling header.
The first period of stoppage time would see Marseille enjoy the upper hand. Brandao was again the man to give them a giant nudge towards the final. Picked out by Lucho, the former Shakhtar Donetsk striker angled a clever shot beyond Mathieu Valverde in the home goal, leaving the custodian unsighted as the ball nestled in his goal.
Twice in the second added time Ben Arfa might have added to OM’s tally but his openings failed to produce a goal. Not that it mattered, as Brandao had sent les Phoceens, who survived a late scare as Laurent Bonnart had to clear a Daniel Congre header from the line, to within one step of their first trophy since 1992-93.
Girondins de Bordeaux or Lorient, who compete in the second semi-final in Brittany in a fortnight’s time, lie in wait for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Meanwhile, in the Coupe de France, Sochaux hammered Le Mans 3-0, with Ideye Brown bagging a double, and Saint-Etienne required penalties to edge past Villefranche sur Saone after a 2-2 draw.
Andre-Pierre Gignac was the home side’s scorer, marking a second half that the Pink City club dominated with the opening strike of the encounter. Le Tefece carved out a number of second half opportunities after being well restricted by les Phoceens in the opening 45 minutes. For their part, Marseille mustered only a series of half-chances before Brandao drew them level late in the game. Just before the end of the first period of additional time, the Brazilian struck his decisive second.
The first half was largely a tight affair, though OM certainly had the better of the early exchanges. Stephane Mbia was the first player to strike at goal in anger, though his 11th minute shot rose narrowly over the top. Lucho Gonzalez was next to chance his arm for the visiting side, though ‘El Commandante’s’ 25-yard drive flashed wide of the target.
Both sides displayed some neat football at stages, though neither had a great deal of conviction in the crucial areas of the field. Too often the final pass from both sides went astray, though the defending was also to be commended.
Mathieu Valbuena would be denied by an excellent block, while a simply magnificent challenge from Etienne Capoue frustrated Mamadou Niang as he broke into the box.
A fascinating duel between home defender Mauro Cetto and Brandao would rage throughout. When the attacker finally got the better of his marker two minutes before the break, he managed to pick out Mamadou Niang, whose header from an excellent position was sent off target.
Half-time proved a watershed time as Toulouse regrouped and became the aggressors for much of the second period. Brandao may have drilled a strike narrowly past the top corner of the home goal soon after the restart, but this was not representative of what was to follow.
Finally Toulouse got things right in the offensive sector after fashioning several good situations. Albin Ebondo flew down the right flank and was played in by Capoue. The right-back’s centre was wonderful, picking out Gignac at the back post, presenting the France international with the perfect chance to thump a header into the net – an opening the striker would not pass up.
Had Machado’s touch been surer only a few moments later or had Ebondo elected to pick out Gignac after being released again by Colin Kazim-Kazim, who enjoyed a bright game, le Tefece may have been out of sight.
Marseille had toiled to create anything of note during the second period but were allowed to squirm back into the game with five minutes remaining. Hatem Ben Arfa had come on as a substitute, injecting some much-needed life into OM. A positive burst from the former Olympique Lyonnais youth down the flank created the yard he needed to centre for Brandao, who powered home a levelling header.
The first period of stoppage time would see Marseille enjoy the upper hand. Brandao was again the man to give them a giant nudge towards the final. Picked out by Lucho, the former Shakhtar Donetsk striker angled a clever shot beyond Mathieu Valverde in the home goal, leaving the custodian unsighted as the ball nestled in his goal.
Twice in the second added time Ben Arfa might have added to OM’s tally but his openings failed to produce a goal. Not that it mattered, as Brandao had sent les Phoceens, who survived a late scare as Laurent Bonnart had to clear a Daniel Congre header from the line, to within one step of their first trophy since 1992-93.
Girondins de Bordeaux or Lorient, who compete in the second semi-final in Brittany in a fortnight’s time, lie in wait for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Meanwhile, in the Coupe de France, Sochaux hammered Le Mans 3-0, with Ideye Brown bagging a double, and Saint-Etienne required penalties to edge past Villefranche sur Saone after a 2-2 draw.
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