Three seconds, but mixed fortunes: Beaten in Brighton (1-0) and against Villarreal (3-2) this Thursday, December 14, Marseille and Rennes lost their first group place and will have to go through the accession play-offs to the eighth in the Europa League (C3), like Toulouse, happier against Linz during this sixth day. Only Lille managed to finish first in their group and continues their journey in the Europa Conference League (C4), thanks to their 3-0 success against Klaksvik.
The Marseillais lost their first match of the season in Europe on Thursday evening, crucified at the end of the match in England by Brighton, second in Group B at kick-off. Joao Pedro delivered the Falmer Stadium in the 88th minute, with a strike which found the opposite corner of Pau Lopez. The Marseillais, with 11 points, will therefore have to go through the play-offs against a loss from the Champions League. They will know their opponent on Monday. Third place in the group, synonymous with the Europa Conference League, was obtained by Ajax Amsterdam.
Earlier in the evening, Rennes suffered the same fate by losing its direct qualification in the round of 16 against Villarreal (3-2), who finished leader of group F. The Rennes thought they had obtained an unexpected draw in added time, but the Lorenz Assignon’s goal was ultimately disallowed after VAR intervention. At the start of the action, Enzo Le Fée had recovered a ball from a direct free kick that he had taken himself and which had hit the crossbar, which is prohibited by the regulations. Assignon could have turned into a hero of the evening. The 23-year-old full-back had already allowed the Bretons to equalize in the first period, with a superb goal, while Villarreal had just opened the scoring on a penalty from Gerard Moreno (37th). Marcelino’s men then took the lead again with a goal from Ilias Akhomach (62nd). Rennes, who spent the match chasing the score, equalized once again thanks to Ludovic Blas (79th). But Rennes were surprised a minute later and Daniel Parejo gave the visitors victory.
Unhappy in Ligue 1, Toulouse recharges its batteries in Europe
On the side of Linz, in Austria, Toulouse, unhappy in Ligue 1 (eight matches without success), therefore finished in a good way, in second place in its group behind Liverpool, its first part of the season on the European scene. The Spaniard César Gelabert, in sight in the first period, served Thijs Dallinga well, who thus scored his fourth goal in the Europa League this season (53rd). Despite Ljubicic’s equalizer a few minutes later (61st), Toulouse snatched their success at the end of the match thanks to Gabriel Suazo (83rd). This is the first time in their history that they have progressed through the group stage of a continental competition.
In the other C3 groups, Qarabag (Group H), AS Roma (Group G), Friborg (A) and Sparta Prague (C) will also go through the play-offs while Slavia Prague (G), West Ham ( A) and the Rangers (C) go to the eighth. In the Europa Conference League, Lille secured its first place in Group A, beating Klaksvik 3-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy thanks to three penalties from Yazici (29th), Gomes (86th) and Zhegrova (90th+6). Klaksvik finished the match with nine men.