Sad evening for French football. Thursday February 22, RC Lens, Toulouse FC and Stade Rennais were eliminated from the Europa League, respectively by Fribourg, Benfica Lisbon and AC Milan, in the round of 16. Defeated in the first leg by two solid European football teams, Toulouse and Rennais will surely have fewer regrets than the Lensois, knocked out in overtime by a more modest Friborg team.
Remaining silent in their den a week earlier (0-0), the Sang et Or had nevertheless been much more offensive on German soil at the start of the match. The Portuguese David Pereira da Costa launched the hostilities shortly before the half-hour mark (0-1, 28th) then it was Elye Wahi, French international hopeful criticized in recent weeks for performances considered disappointing, who allowed his team to to make the break with a subtle lob in front of the opposing goalkeeper (0-2, 45th).
Much less inspired than in the first period, the Artésiens fell back and ended up being joined by Friborg and their Hungarian scorer Roland Sallai, author of a double, at the very end of regulation time (2-2, 90th). In overtime, Franck Haise’s men broke down again and were never able to find the resources to equalize after the Germans’ third goal (3-2, 98th). “A deep disappointment for the Sang et Or coach, lucid after the match. When you have been doing this job for a long time, you know that you are sometimes lucky enough to experience exceptional moments and more painful moments. You have to take responsibility for them both. »
Rennes and Toulouse uninhibited
In Brittany, this exceptional moment did take place, although without a miracle at the end. Heavily beaten at San Siro in the first leg (3-0), the Rennais delivered a much better performance at Roazhon Park, but their victory (3-2) against the Milanese did not prove sufficient to continue their European adventure .
Benjamin Bourigeaud’s hat-trick (11th, 54th, 68th) could have been enough for the Bretons to take the Italians to extra time, but the Rennes defense once again lacked the experience to keep a clean sheet. The achievements of Luka Jovic (21st) and Rafael Leao (57th), always a few minutes after a Breton goal, allowed AC Milan to stay afloat, and to qualify for the round of 16 rather calmly. But the tactician of the Bretons, Julien Stéphan, preferred to remember the performance of his players, and “the most beautiful victory in the European history of Stade Rennais”.
A feat, which can echo the tenacity of Toulouse. Without complexes in the face of a strong opponent, the TFC showed a resistance that does them credit, but too fair to hope to see the rest of the competition (0-0). Beaten in the first leg (2-1) in Lisbon by a Benfica carried by the former Argentinian international of PSG, Angel Di Maria, the Toulouse residents were able to make their cage impenetrable at home, without succeeding in deceiving the defensive wall which was theirs. opposite.
The Violets, 13th in the Ligue 1 standings, close an enchanted European parenthesis, marked in particular by their Homeric success when hosting Liverpool (3-2), in the group stage of the competition.
France could still have a representative for the knockout stages of the Europa League since Olympique de Marseille faces Shakhtar Donetsk at 9 p.m. In front of their home crowd, the men of the new coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, must show a better face than in the first leg (2-2) to hope to qualify.
