• Olympique de Marseille lost 2 goals to 1 on Tuesday evening at the Stade Vélodrome against Tottenham on the last day of the Champions League group stages.

  • Igor Tudor's players conceded a goal at the very last minute of the match, synonymous with elimination from all European cups, while a draw would have been enough to hang the Europa League.

  • Mattéo Guendouzi and Amine Harit admitted in the mixed zone that they and their teammates were not aware of Frankfurt's victory against Sporting Portugal in the other match of the group, and that a qualification in C3 was possible.

At the Velodrome stadium,

An incredible end to the match, an explanation that is even more so.

Olympique de Marseille players were eliminated from the Champions League by losing 2 goals to 1 on Tuesday evening at the Stade Vélodrome against Tottenham.

A second goal scored by Franco-Danish Højbjerg in the 94th minute, right at the end of added time, when Sead Kolasinac had just squandered all of OM's chances by taking a header too much which seemed unmissable (88th).



No Champions League for the Marseillais, therefore, but no Europa League either.

If they had not taken this lightning attack led by Harry Kane at the very end of the match, Igor Tudor's men could be returned to C3, thanks to Frankfurt's victory against Sporting Portugal, in the other group match (1-2).

“We did not have the information”

Except that, hold on tight, the OM players weren't aware!

As incredible as it may seem for a qualification for the European Cup which amounts to several million euros and a few points on the UEFA index, Mattéo Guendouzi recognized it first in the mixed zone.

“There is a lack of communication, a lack of experience, at the end of the match, we regret it”, began the midfielder, before detailing: “There was a misunderstanding and that is what that we take this second goal.

If we knew that, we wouldn't have boarded so much, we would have kept our defensive line.

Tonight we all got in the way.

»

A few minutes later, Amine Harit went there with a little harsher words, at the height of the disappointment of the Marseillais:

"It's a mistake that hurts.

We were focused on the pitch and we didn't know what was going on in the other match.

We didn't get the info, we're not going to shoot each other, but it's a blatant communication problem.

But to tell you that I am not disgusted that this information has not been brought up to the field would be to lie to you.

»

“Complicated for the players to hear us”

Asked about this lack of information from his players at a press conference, Igor Tudor invoked the atmosphere of the Vélodrome stadium.

“I advised the players to stay there, not to go too far and to stay balanced.

But there was a lot of noise and it was difficult for them to hear us and that's why they pushed, "he tried as an explanation, which is also difficult to hear when you see like the Vélodrome pushed his players.

By not trying everything for the whole, some would have criticized a certain reluctance to the Marseillais since the victory was necessary to reach the knockout stages.

But this defeat, and even more his scenario, are "a huge disappointment for all the players, the whole club", according to Mattéo Guendouzi, and darken the picture of a very dark period for Igor Tudor and his players.

What to see everything in black.

“It's often that we deserve to score that 2nd or 3rd goal, to win, but we can't do it.

We don't learn fast enough game after game, we keep making the same mistakes, even though we have a good squad, ”regrets Mattéo Guendouzi.

Half-charged by his players for this mess of the Europa League, the Croatian coach will have to find the resources to remobilize his troops against the sworn enemy Lyon from Sunday (9 p.m.).

At the risk of not experiencing spring on the OM bench, as for Marseille with the European Cup.

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