Premature celebration... In Bruges, Marseille were congratulated on reaching the playoffs before the end of the Benfica match
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
The eighth round of the Champions League ended not just in sporting disaster for Marseille, but also in an embarrassing organizational blunder.
Details: At the Bruges stadium, where the French side was playing, the announcer and scoreboard prematurely congratulated the team and fans on making it to the playoffs. Club officials didn't wait for the final whistle in the parallel match between Benfica and Real, assuming the job was already done.
The joy for the Provençal side was short-lived and quickly turned to shock. While fans celebrated what seemed like a historic success, something incredible was unfolding in Lisbon: Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a dramatic goal in the 98th minute, turning the group standings on their head.
That last-gasp strike sent the Portuguese side through to the next round and left Marseille out of the competition.
Reminder: Marseille became the first French club to be eliminated from the general stage of the Champions League.
