Former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi hit out at his Marseille team-mates after the Ligue 1 side lost to second-tier Annecy in the Coupe de France.
Marseille previously beat Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, leaving the draw wide open. They named a strong XI as they welcomed their second-tier opponents to Stade Velodrome, with Guendouzi one of a number of French internationals involved, including captain Dimitri Payet.
Jordan Veretout's opener gave L'OM a half-time lead but a quick-fire double early in the second period gave the advantage to Annecy, who sit 10th in Ligue 2. Teenage debutant Francois-Regis Mughe delivered a stoppage-time equaliser to send the game to penalties, but the Ligue 1 side were unable to take their second chance, losing 7-6 on spot kicks.
“We had a non-match, it’s professional misconduct on our part," Guendouzi was quoted as saying by RMC Sport, per Get French Football News. "It’s a huge disappointment and it’s not worthy of OM.
"We can only blame ourselves. It’s not normal. We had to take a break but we didn’t know how to take our chances, we were a bit light in the duels.
"You are safe from nothing in football when you do not put the ingredients. We are ashamed for us, for the club and for the supporters who are waiting for this trophy. We must quickly switch and move on. There is a season to finish.”
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Guendouzi's team-mate Valentin Rongier suggested he and his colleagues showed too much respect to their opponents. "More than disappointment, there is irritation," the midfielder told beIN Sports.
"We respected Annecy too much, they played without complex," he added. "We had done the hardest [thing] by scoring. We must win the match before the penalty shootout. We are at home and we must show our superiority from start to finish against a Ligue 2 side. We failed to do so."
The defeat was a second heavy blow in a matter of days for Marseille, who missed the chance to close the gap on Ligue 1 leaders PSG on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe scored twice for the reigning champions at Stade Velodrome, with Lionel Messi also on target.
All of the other Coupe de France quarter-finals brought victories for Ligue 1 sides on home soil. Holders Nantes booked their place in the semis with a narrow victory over Lens, while Toulouse beat Rodez and Lyon overcame Grenoble.
A Ludovic Blas penalty settled the 2022 final in Nantes' favour, with Nice the beaten finalists on that occasion. Antoine Kombouare's team reached the play-off round in this season's Europa League after qualifying for the competition through their cup win, but were beaten on aggregate by Juventus.
