Benfica added the elimination from the League Cup and the Portuguese Cup (not to mention the almost certain 'goodbye' to the fight for the national championship title) to the fall of the Europa League, in the quarterfinals, against Marseille this Thursday.

The incarnates apparently had everything to move forward, especially because they had a 2-1 advantage, thanks to the triumph won at Luz, a week earlier. However, they lost, 1-0, in regulation time, and were 'run' away, in the penalty shootout.

The French entered the game better, with more possession, even with some difficulties in penetrating the opponent's penalty area. Even so, they could have reached the break winning, if not for a good save by Anatoliy Trubin to a shot by Ilman Ndiaye.

In the second half, the game opened up, and the opportunities followed one another, from side to side, opening the way for an authentic 'show', not only from the goalkeeper of the Luz club, but also from the opponent, Paul López.

It was then that, at 79 minutes, when the incarnate qualification seemed inevitable, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang accelerated down the left wing and crossed for a precise header by Francis Moumbagna, who 'pushed' the game into extra time.

There, the 'knot' remained, so the 'tie-breaker' followed from the 11-meter mark. Joaquín Correa, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Leonardo Balerdi and Luis Henrique beat Trubin, while on the other side, Ángel di María shot at the post, and António Silva into the hands of Pau López.

Marseille will then face Atalanta (who left Liverpool behind, by an aggregate score of 3-1), in the next phase of the Europa League. Benfica, on the other hand, will now focus all their attention on the Portuguese championship.

Figure

A 'monstrous' night by Pau López. The Spanish goalkeeper did not have to make a single save in the first half, but he stayed 'connected' to the game, and still had time to leave Rafa Silva, Ángel di María and Arthur Cabral on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In the penalty shootout, he did it again, to defend António Silva's shot.

Surprise

Francis Moumbagna 'jumped' from the bench, at 59 minutes, to replace Emran Soglo, and proved to be Jean-Louis Gasset's 'joker'. In addition to scoring the goal that 'pushed' the game into extra time (and penalties), he also proved to be Marseille's main threat, when the rest of the team lacked 'legs'.

Disappointment

A night that summed up the entire season of Ángel di María. The one that was supposed to be Benfica's 'headliner' figure, limped in the face of pressure. During regulation time, apart from one or two 'flashes', he was missing, and, in the penalty shootout, he shot at the post on the first attempt.

Coaches

Jean-Louis Gasset: Marseille was forced to take the reins of the game, due to the disadvantage of the first leg, and there is no doubt that they had more possession, from the first moment, but it took them a while to 'dismantle' the Benfica team. Even so, as time went by, the French became increasingly dangerous, and ended up being fair winners.

Roger Schmidt: The culmination of a whole season of disjointed decisions. David Neres was Benfica's main 'agitator', but ended up being the first to be replaced (along with Casper Tengstedt) to make way for João Mário. The incarnates set off for the final stretch without an offensive reference... which they recovered, in extra time, with the entry of Arthur Cabral. Thus, a campaign to forget comes to an end.

Referee

A 'crazy' night, at the level of the history of the game, but calm in terms of the decisions that Felix Zwayer had to make. He managed the game well, and always decided well, including on the two occasions when he ignored Marseille's requests for a penalty.

Leia Também: João Mário após queda do Benfica: "Temos o dever de acabar bem a época" (Portuguese version)