Scamacca on target as Atalanta hold Marseille to a draw

Semi-final 1st leg

Marseille 1-1 Atalanta 

Gianluca Scamacca allowed Atalanta to emerge unbeaten from the Stade Velodrome, as only a Chancel Mbemba stunner let Olympique Marseille equalise.

La Dea had Isak Hien suspended, but Giorgio Scalvini returned to the starting XI. OM had Samuel Gigot banned, Bamo Meité, captain Valentin Rongier and Bilal Nadir injured, but Chancel Mbemba, Amir Murillo and Quentin Merlin returned.

It was an ideal start to silence the loud Stade Velodrome crowd, as Gianluca Scamacca sprung the offside trap on the Teun Koopmeiners through ball, took a touch and drilled right-footed into the far bottom corner.

However, Sead Kolasinac landed awkwardly after a jump and was forced to limp off, replaced by Mario Pasalic so Marten de Roon dropped into midfield.

Soon after, Marseille were able to equalise when defender Mbemba marked his comeback with a strangely swerving strike from outside the box that bounced off the inside of the far post and ricocheted into the net.

Marseille really should’ve turned it around just before half-time when going on the counter two against two, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang incredibly fired the angled drive across the face of goal and wide.

Aubameyang also got away from Davide Zappacosta, only to be denied by brave Juan Musso goalkeeping.

Pau Lopez smothered a Koopmeiners snapshot and Marseille had the ball in the net with Ismaila Sarr’s tap-in, but Luis Henrique was offside in the build-up.

Ademola Lookman came off the bench and had a good chance fired across the face of goal, then Marseille substitute Azzedine Ounahi thumped the crossbar on an Aubameyang assist within moments of his introduction.

Faris Moumbagna slipped when trying to take advantage of a Musso error, while Aleksei Miranchuk’s strike looked like it was going in until the final bend took it inches wide of the upright.