Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores twice but ex-Arsenal team-mate Matteo Guendouzi has a night to forget as Marseille are knocked out of the Champions League by Panathinaikos on penalties
Former Arsenal stars Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi have been knocked out of the Champions League after Marseille suffered an agonizing penalty defeat to Panathinaikos on Tuesday.
Trailing 1-0 from last week in the first leg in Greece, the Ligue 1 team got off to a flying start and Aubameyang equalized within two minutes at the Stade Velodrome.
The 34-year-old took his second of the evening and put Marseille ahead for the first time in added time at the end of the first half.
After scoring a brace there wasn’t much more Aubameyang could have done, and he was taken off with 10 minutes left as Marseille looked for a draw to book their place in the Champions League group stage.
However, deep into second half stoppage time, Guendouzi was penalized for handling the ball in the penalty area, giving Panathinaikos the chance to take the match to extra time.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in the first half to give Marseille the lead
His goals seemed enough to push Marseille through to the group stage of the Champions League
Matteo Guendouzi’s teammates argue with the referee after he was awarded a late penalty
Guendouzi was the only player to miss a penalty kick in the shootout as Marseille were eliminated
Fotis Ioannidis duly converted the resulting penalty to force an additional 30 minutes of play.
No more goals were scored in extra time, meaning penalties were needed to split the two teams.
After Ioannidis gave Panathinaikos a perfect start in the shootout, Guendouzi stepped up for Marseille, only to see his effort saved by goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli.
Thereafter, every second penalty kick was scored, with Panathinaikos winning 5–3 on penalties to go through, while Guendouzi had to reflect on a disastrous evening in which he played a big part in his side’s downfall.
The 24-year-old is now in his third season with Marseille following his departure from Arsenal, with the midfielder finalizing his move to the French giants last summer.
Meanwhile, Aubameyang joined Marseille less than a month ago after finishing his torrid one-year stay at Chelsea.
He has already made a positive first impression, but his goals were not enough to keep Marseille in Europe’s elite club competition on Tuesday.
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