>
Marseille – PSG 2-1: Lionel Messi and company are ELIMINATED from the French Cup after Alexis Sánchez’s penalty and Ruslan Malinovsky’s lightning sends Igor Tudor’s men to the quarterfinals
- Alexis Sánchez opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Marseille
- Sergio Ramos, who conceded the penalty, equalized before the break
- Ruslan Malinovsky restored Marseille’s lead with a lightning bolt to make it 2-1
Paris Saint-Germain’s miserable start to the year continued when they were knocked out of the French Cup last 16 by arch-rivals Marseille on Wednesday.
Marseille, who had only beaten PSG twice since Qatar Sport Investment (QSI) took over the capital team in 2011, reached the quarter-finals thanks to an Alexis Sánchez penalty and Ruslan Malinovskyi’s lightning strike after the goal equalizer by Sergio Ramos in the first half.
PSG have already lost three times in 2023 and the Cup defeat comes less than a week before they face Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
Without the injured Kylian Mbappé, who will also miss the Bayern clash, PSG struggled and, according to captain Marquinhos, they will now need to “shut up and work” to recover.
‘They pushed high and we didn’t manage to break the lines. It hurts because it was a Cup match against our great rival’, added Marquinhos.
Marseille eliminated PSG from the French Cup and advances to the quarterfinals
Ruslan Malinovsky scored a thunderous shot to win the cup tie for Marseille on Wednesday
Marseille manager Igor Tudor reveled in his victory.
‘Amazing guys, they are champions. It’s unbelievable for the club,’ he said.
Marseille took the lead on 31 minutes when Sánchez converted a penalty after Cengiz Under was brought down by Ramos, giving the hosts a deserved lead after a spirited start.
Ramos, however, made amends by heading in from Neymar’s corner two minutes into first-half stoppage time, shortly after the Brazilian hit the post with a shot from 18 metres.
Alexis Sánchez broke the tie for Marseille at the half hour mark for Marseille
The former Man United and Arsenal player walks away to celebrate after scoring
Marseille players celebrate as flares are thrown into the crowd at the Stade Velodrome
Then the Velodrome came to a head when Malinovskyi, who joined on loan from Atalanta last month, beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a half-volley from outside the box into the top corner.
Ramos had a goal disallowed for offside in added time in a thrilling finale in which Marseille defended tooth and nail.
Elsewhere, Olympique Lyonnais eliminated Lille 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
AJ Auxerre were beaten 3-2 at home by Ligue 2 side Rodez, who advanced after scoring with all three of their attempts on goal.
The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on Thursday.
Sergio Ramos, who conceded the penalty, equalized before the break for PSG
The defender finished off with a header seconds before the break to equalize the score