Ayew and Rémy look for Marseille improvement

André Ayew said he hopes Olympique de Marseille will "learn from their mistakes" after France's last representatives in the UEFA Champions League bowed out to FC Bayern München at the quarter-final stage.

Two goals down from the first leg, Didier Deschamps' side were unable to upset the odds in Bavaria and succumbed to two first-half strikes from Ivica Olić as Bayern cruised to a 4-0 aggregate win. Despite the disappointment, winger Ayew believes Marseille can be proud to have reached the last eight for the first time since winning the inaugural competition in 1993 – adding that he and his colleagues will only benefit from the experience.

"We're a bit disappointed, but over the two games Bayern were the better side and deserved to go through," the Ghanaian international, 22, told UEFA.com. "We need to learn from this tie and continue to progress as a team. I think we need to believe more in one another and hope to improve for the next time we're in the Champions League."

Fellow attacker Loïc Rémy said that the overall scoreline reflected the quality of the opposition. "We all agreed that Bayern are a great team and we simply have to improve," noted the 25-year-old. "I don't think we gave a bad account of ourselves. We fought and we created chances, but we didn't convert them. At this level it's the small things that make the difference."

Ayew lamented that conceding early had ruined Marseille's game plan and left them with a near-impossible task of clawing back the deficit against the four-time European champions: "We wanted to find a goal in the first 20 to 30 minutes and we had opportunities but didn't take them. A few minutes later they had a similar chance and they scored. They had the luck but also the precision."

The 2-0 defeat was the latest in a miserable run of results for OM, who have lost nine of their last ten matches in all competitions. With the side ninth in Ligue 1, the focus turns to the French League Cup final against Olympique Lyonnais on 14 April, which is likely to provide Marseille's best avenue for a return to UEFA competition next term.

"The cup final against Lyon is very important," said Ayew, who is nonetheless confident that Les Phocéens can still salvage their Ligue 1 campaign: "The league is not over yet. We have the biggest match in France against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday and I think if we can get the victory there, then things can change."