Historic fiasco. Marseille become the first French club eliminated from the Champions League general league stage
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Matchday 8 of the Champions League turned into a real tragedy for Marseille.
Details: After a crushing 0-3 defeat to Belgian side Club Brugge, the Provençal outfit became the first French club ever to be knocked out of the tournament during the revamped league stage, introduced last season.
The team has failed to reach the knockout phase of Europe's most prestigious tournament since as far back as 2012, and this season only extended their joyless run.
What makes this defeat especially painful is that Marseille kept their hopes alive until the very last seconds. The Provençal side could have qualified for the next round even with a negative result in Belgium, if only Benfica from Lisbon hadn't pulled off a miracle in the parallel match. But a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin—Benfica's fourth against Real Madrid—finally dashed the French club's hopes of salvation.
Recall: Sevilla signed Marseille striker Neal Maupay on loan.
