Marseille pushed to the limit in French Cup
Sunday, January 4, 2009
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Olympique de Marseille fought back from a goal down at fourth-division Besançon RC to eventually win through on penalties in the French Cup and set up a potential round of 32 meeting with holders Olympique Lyonnais.
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Olympique de Marseille fought back from a goal down at fourth-division Besançon RC to win through on penalties in the French Cup and set up a potential round of 32 meeting with Olympique Lyonnais, whose game against amateur side US Concarneau was postponed.
Shoot-out success
Despite dominating possession in the icy conditions, Marseille found themselves behind after 66 minutes when defender Ronald Zubar scored an own goal, wrong-footing his own goalkeeper as he attempted a clearance. The visitors equalised with five minutes remaining when Yannick Goyon handled in the area and Taye Taiwo levelled from the spot. The tie went to extra time and then a shoot-out with OM's Benoît Cheyrou striking the winning penalty.
Ligue 1 sides through
Earlier, AS Monaco FC prevailed 1-0 at fifth-tier side FC Blagnac due to another own goal, this time coming from the amateur team's captain, Frédéric Marquet. UEFA Cup pretenders Paris Saint-Germain FC also squeezed through narrowly, winning 1-0 at EDS Montluçon with a goal from Stéphane Sessegnon.