Marseille win on penalties and knock Benfica out of Europa League

Olympique de Marseille will face Atalanta from Serie A in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League after securing a 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout against SL Benfica. This result means that Les Phocéens have not been defeated at the Orange Vélodrome in the competition for more than five years.

After a disappointing loss in Portugal, Marseille started strongly on home turf, with Iliman Ndiaye's shot saved by Atalanta's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin and Chancel Mbemba missing the target with a header.

Leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued to push for a goal in the first half, narrowly missing the crossbar with a shot. Despite having six shots compared to Benfica's two, Marseille could not find the back of the net in the first half.

In the second half, Marseille were denied what looked like a clear penalty for a handball by Benfica. Trubin made another crucial save to deny Amine Harit shortly before the hour mark.

As time ran out, Geoffrey Kondogbia thought he had equalized the aggregate score, but Trubin made a spectacular one-handed save to keep Marseille at bay.

Pau Lopez once again came to the rescue for his team, making a crucial save to deny Rafa Silva's initial shot and then blocking Angel Di Maria's follow-up attempt.

This save proved to be vital for Marseille, as just four minutes later, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang delivered a fantastic cross into the box, allowing Faris Moumbagna to head home and equalize the score.

Moumbagna's goal in the 79th minute ensured that the match would go into extra time at the Orange Vélodrome.

During the first half of extra time, Di Maria had a chance to score, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Lopez. Arthur Cabral also tested the Marseille goalkeeper with a shot, but after 120 minutes of play, the match was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout.

Unfortunately for Benfica, Di Maria and Antonio Silva both missed their penalties, resulting in Marseille advancing to the semi-finals.

This victory brings Gasset's side one step closer to winning their first European trophy since the UEFA Champions League in 1992/93. On the other hand, Benfica's defeat marks only their second loss in ten matches.