Perpignan (AFP)

Glory for fans of Canet-en-Roussillon, shame for OM: at the heart of a season of all disasters, Marseille fell even lower with a pitiful elimination (2-1) on Sunday in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France against a National 2 team.

The Marseillais had promised this week that the Cup was a goal, that it was necessary to aim for the final, that the opportunity was great against a 4th division team to regain "collective and offensive confidence", in the words of Nasser Larguet .

But there is definitely nothing to save in the terrible season for OM and the interim coach's record will necessarily be revised downwards after this embarrassing failure.

For his last match with the first team, the director of the training center undoubtedly wanted to avoid the accident and, apart from Mandanda and Thauvin who remained in Marseille, it was the OM holders who attacked the N2 players.

Yet, throughout the game, Canet was the better team, clearly.

The players of Farid Fouzari, former assistant coach of Sedan, put more rhythm, more daring and even more technical quality than the Marseillais.

The best proof of this was given in the 21st when Jérémy Posteraro sent a superb free kick to Pelé's top window.

Passed by Martigues and Marignane, very close to Marseille, the middle of Canet, right-hander, surprised the OM goalkeeper while the position was rather favorable to a left-hander.

A few minutes later, a cross from Yohan Bai fell on the bar of Pelé and OM, then, was in immense difficulty.

On these rugby lands, the Provençaux multiplied the passes backwards, those forward being forbidden to them by their own excitement and by the good organization of the opposing team.

- with the mascot -

Somewhere in Marseille, in front of a television, Jorge Sampaoli then had to measure the amount of work and the treasures of psychology that he will have to deploy from Monday to put this team back on track.

However, once was enough for OM to recall, for a moment, the divisions of the gap between the two teams.

In the 38th minute, Payet shifted Germain to the right, whose center found Milik's good call at the near post.

On their first quick action, OM were back in the game (1-1).

The break was then animated by the dissolution of the astonishing little "kop" of fifty fans of Canet-en-Roussillon, close to the players and friends of the club, curiously admitted to the Gabriel Brutus stadium despite the closed session sanitary.

Even if it meant being there, they made noise and it felt good.

But security intervened, to enforce a little better the barrier gestures and, more comically, to ask those present to "stop encouraging" their team.

Canet supporters have more or less respected the instructions.

Their players have done much better than that.

They continued to teach a lesson to the professionals opposite and very logically regained the advantage, in the 71st minute, after an impeccable collective action, concluded by Yohan Baï on an assist from Posteraro.

Behind, OM vaguely tried to come back but everything that the Marseillais offered remained incredibly weak and they would not have particularly deserved to arrive on penalties.

At the final whistle, in the pouring rain, Canet loudly celebrated his qualification for the round of 16, without any barrier gesture, but with a mascot coming out of who knows where and with immense and legitimate joy.

OM for its part goes on Monday at Argentine time with the first training of Sampaoli.

There is not much to save, just work, a lot.

© 2021 AFP