May 06, (THEWILL) – Feyenoord held Marseille to a 0-0 tie at Stade Velodrome for a 3-2 aggregate triumph after holding on to a first-leg Europa Conference League semi-final advantage.
The Eredivisie side overcame an all-out effort from their hosts in a typically rowdy atmosphere in Provence to create history.
Marseille put on a lively first half and hour, knowing that a win would at the absolute least send them into extra time and penalties.
They fought aggressively for an early edge, backed by an army of flare-wielding fans — to the point where visibility was severely limited by smoke over the opening quarter-hour.
However, Arne Slot’s charges stood firm, and the Ligue 1 side suffered a significant creative blow when Dmitri Payet was sent off in the 33rd minute for an innocuous infraction.
After the break, Luis Sinisterra squandered a chance to give Feyenoord a two-goal aggregate lead when his header went right into Steve Mandanda’s gloves.
With the clock ticking down on the final quarter, tempers began to rise, with Gerson and Lutsharel Geertruida physically squaring up at one point.
Another brawl between the two sets of players set the tone for a tense last few minutes – but with Marseille unable to break down the Dutch defence, it was the visitors who held on to book a ticket to Tirana to face Roma.
It is the Dutch team’s first appearance in a major European final since 2002, when they defeated Borussia Dortmund to win the UEFA Cup. But for Jorge Sampaoli, the draw seems like a loss, as Les Olympiens missed out on a chance to win their first continental trophy since the 2005 Intertoto Cup.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
