Olympique de Marseille’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League took a major hit when they slumped to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at home against Atalanta in painful fashion on Wednesday.
Lazar Samardzic netted the only goal in the last minute with a superb strike from outside the box at the end of a counter-attack while Marseille players were screaming for a penalty for an Ederson handball. The result left Roberto de Zerbi’s team with three points from four games in the elimination zone in 25th place in the 36-team league, while Atalanta moved up to 16th on seven points.
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Atalanta imposed their rhythm early on with crisp combinations and relentless pressing, but Charles De Ketelaere’s 14th-minute penalty — awarded after Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli brought down Nikola Krstovic in the box — was saved.
Marseille dominated the second half and thought they would be awarded a penalty when Ederson handled the ball in the box while trying to bring it under control.
On the ensuing counter-attack, Samardzic curled a superb kick into the top corner, leaving De Zerbi fuming on the touchline, trying to show a replay of the handball to referee Jose Maria Sanchez.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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