Marseille and Atalanta Share Honors in First Leg of Europa League Semi-final

Olympique de Marseille and Atalanta BC played out an enthralling draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final at the Stade Vélodrome, keeping the tie finely poised heading into the second leg. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side continued their impressive unbeaten away run in the competition, extending it to nine matches.

Marseille, boasting a perfect record of progressing from previous Europa League and UEFA Cup semi-final appearances, faced a confident Atalanta side who had won their last three matches, including an impressive victory over Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

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It took only 11 minutes for Atalanta to break the deadlock, with Gianluca Scamacca finishing clinically after a brilliant pass from Teun Koopmeiners. However, Marseille responded quickly, with Chancel Mbemba curling in a superb long-range strike to level the scores.

Despite sustained pressure from Marseille, Atalanta held firm defensively, with Matteo Ruggeri denying Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s effort before half-time. Aubameyang had a chance to put Marseille ahead but missed narrowly after a swift counter-attack.

In the second half, Marseille continued to push for a goal, with Mbemba and Geoffrey Kondogbia going close. However, Atalanta remained dangerous on the counter, with Ademola Lookman coming close to scoring.

The match remained end-to-end, with Ismaila Sarr’s goal disallowed for offside and Azzedine Ounahi hitting the bar with a long-range effort for Marseille.

Gasperini will be satisfied with the draw, while Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset will take confidence from his team’s performance as they prepare for the second leg.