French Cup : 1/16th final is theirs !

By Philippe Serve

Olympique de Marseille féminin qualified for the 1/16 F of French Cup this Sunday, January 4, eliminating FA Marseille on its ground (2-1). A first !

They did it. It was not easy, as expected. But the Olympians will taste a 16th final of the Coupe de France for the first time. Each year, this team leaves its mark on the vintage by crossing a new border on its way to the top. Whether in the league with three divisions already swallowed in three years or in Cups : League Cup won in 2014 after a second round in 2012 and a final in 2013. And the most beautiful, the Coupe de France. Let’s see :

2012 : out in first round (Cassis, pso)

2013 : out in 64th (ASPTT Montpellier, DH, 1-2)

2014 : out in 32th (FAMF, D2, pso)

2015 : qualified for the 16th… until something better?

Standing from l. to r. : Montagna, Pelloux, Pizzala, M'Bassidjé, Pourquiès.

First rank : Rubio, C. Abou-Deraa, Marcilly, Hatchi, Laplacette, Cousin.

A double revenge that does not speak its name

Not only this 32th final took on all the attires of a 100 % Marseilles derby, but it also sounded like a remake of two recent confrontations with a same result, a draw in each case, but with the consequences being much less neutral. One year ago exactly, the Olympians still in DH, met their D2 neighbors at the same stage of the competition. Although dominated and able to judge the gap separating them from the division above, they managed to stand up and force the FAM on penalties, before losing. A draw, but an elimination... Six weeks ago, OM having joined the D2 in the meantime, it was for the championship both teams met again. The Olympians, then new leader after their feat in Nimes, welcomed the FAM, played 11 vs 10 for 80 minutes, led 2-0 with 30 minutes to go... and conceded a draw (2-2), which could cost dearly at the end of the season. A draw with a defeat acrid scent...

Lugdivine Montagna launching an offensive.

Pretty good strikers

This time, the match was played on the field of FAM, "away" and in front of 300 spectators. As so often this season, the girls in white found themselves behind after 5 minutes only. After a try for each side — FAM at first with an attempt well blocked by Anaïs Hachi, then Pauline Cousin a bit too wide for OM — the local players got a free-kick at about thirty meters, slightly off-center to the left. Number 10 Julie Manzi took her chance. Her shot went high and then fell as a dead leaf. Hachi believed the ball was to be out (she apologised later), but it rushed just below her cross-bar, near the left post. The wind, which blew in FAM’s back in the first half, had perhaps given a little boost (1-0, 5')...

The Olympians did not take much time to have a think after this bad start. Ten minutes later, Tess Laplacette ran past her opponent on the right side and crossed. The ball was headed and cleared, but went to Léa Rubio 25 meters from the goal. The captain calmly controlled and triggered one of these calibrated strikes she has the secret. Top corner ! (1-1, 15') Just before halftime, her midfield teammate Caroline Pizzala had the opportunity to put their team ahead, but her foot slightly turned and her shot skimmed past the left post of Zarate.

Léa strikes… and scores !

The FAM started the second half by stepping on the gas and created a beginning of a panic in the Olympian defense who got off lightly. But it is OM that struck victoriously. On a corner kicked from the left by Rubio, a defender of FAM cleared the ball in the axis to Pizzala. The Olympian, back to the goal, deflected in one touch and with great vista and intelligence to Émilie Pelloux, alone on the right, inside the box. The central defender half-volleyed the ball and the leather sphere hit the underside of the cross-bar on opposite corner and bounced behind the line. Superb ! (1-2, 48')

Boosted by this advantage and now helped by the wind, the Olympians pushed their actions and following a pass by Cousin, Pizzala was close to put her team two goals ahead. Then the FAM reacted and seriously put OM on the back foot. Manzi sent a shiver down the Olympians’ spines with her shot hardly too crossed and flirting with Hatchi’s right post. Inevitably, the contacts became harsher and mistakes accumulated, Léa Rubio getting a yellow card (77’). One last big opportunity for the FAM after a scramble in front of the Olympian goal, and Christophe Parra’s girls could celebrate their historic qualification...

Cathy Abou-Deraa cleverly looks around…

The girls’ Cup

OM féminin is continuing its adventure in French Cup and will know its opponent in 16th (played January 25) on Thursday, shortly after noon. Note that the drawing will remain "regional" once more and that only three other teams out of the twelve in Group C of D2 (OM’s), are still in contention: Nivolas-Vermelles, La Véore-Montoison and Muret. All other top names are left to rot, even Nimes which we congratulate nevertheless for having forced the MHSC (D1) on penalties. The French Cup is not a goal for Christophe Parra and his staff who naturally favor the promotion to D1. But he had the intelligence to empower players and especially to grant them autonomy, a proof of his confidence. In short : "In Cup, the competition is yours and it is up to you to decide what you want to do." Apparently the Olympians are hungry in this brand new year’s beginning and a little extended adventure would not to displease them. And its is also an opportunity to show the boys, shamely eliminated at the same stage of the competition by Grenoble (CFA, 4th division) on penalties, that OM girls ... know how to do it !

P.S.

© PhilippeServe

Stadium Arsène-Manelli, OM beat FA Marseille 2 - 1. Half-Time : 1-1.
Referee : Ms Solène Bartnik assisted by Mr. Antoine Julien and Benoit Chandelier.
4th official : M. Philippe Di Marco.
Goals - FA Marseille : Manzi (5). OM : Rubio (15), Pelloux (48).
Yellow card - OM : Rubio (77).
FA Marseille : Zarate - Belkhiter, Espolet, Meresse, Achour - Imchal - Bernard, Manzi (cap) - Chougrani (Bayle, 79), Secci, Moziyan.
Coach : Sophie Sillère.
OM : Hatchi - Laplacette, Pelloux, M’Bassidjé, Montagna - Marcilly - Pizzala, Rubio (cap, Ben Abdelghani, 86) - Pourquies (Vignal, 76), C. Abou-Deraa (Anigo, 88), Cousin.
Coach : Christophe Parra.

Photos : © Meryll Vian / OM.Net

Video : © OM.Net

Comments

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It's so wonderful to see how the girls have reacted to adversity every step of the way. We've climbed the mountain so quickly, you'd expect at some point we'd be completely unprepared for a challenge, but that's never been the case. Whenever we do falter, we learn something from it and complete a turnaround almost immediately. I suppose that's the beauty and the brilliance of having such placid and mature players and coaches like ours.