Marseille coach Roberto de Zerbi shed tears after his team suffered a heartbreaking defeat to arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions Trophy.
On Thursday night, Marseille led 2-1 and came close to winning their first trophy since 2012, but substitute Gonzalo Ramos equalized just before stoppage time after a counter-attack, and PSG won on penalties.
De Zerbi said after the match, “I’ve never cried after a loss, but when I went back to the dressing room today (Thursday) I cried.” “We have made special preparations against the best team in Europe, but Marseille deserved to win.”
Since Marseille won the League Cup in 2012, PSG has become a major force in French football. Last year, a club from Paris won the championship. champions league He joins Marseille as the only French club to do so.
marseille They beat PSG earlier this season. They appeared in the French league and were on track for their second win with just one minute left in stoppage time at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City.
PSG’s equalizer, which came after Marseille had pushed forward for a third goal but was met with a quick counterattack, highlighted Marseille’s continued inability to cope with pressure situations.
De Zerbi, in his second season in charge, admits the club’s chronic inconsistency – Marseille’s strong performance against PSG came just days after a disastrous 2-0 home defeat to struggling Nantes in Ligue 1 – continues to trouble him.
“Something strange is happening in Marseille and we need to reverse that trend,” he said. “The goal is to learn how to play like we do in every game (against PSG). Against Nantes we didn’t show anything, but (against PSG) we had everything.”
Marseille are third in Ligue 1, but are already seven points behind defending champions PSG and eight points behind surprise leaders Reims.
Marseille last won the French title in 2010 under then manager and former captain Didier Deschamps.
super sub ramos
Ramos is becoming an important player off the bench for PSG.
Thursday’s goal was PSG’s 12th since the 90th minute, according to Opta’s statisticians.
The Portuguese forward has scored a total of 43 goals in 111 games since joining PSG from Benfica two seasons ago.
Ramos has scored 10 goals in 22 games for Portugal and could pose a threat if he plays a similar role in this year’s competition. world cup.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
