Marseille beats Rennes 1-0 to reach last 16 in French Cup

Fri, Jan 20, 2023
Soccer News (AP)

PARIS (AP) - Midfielder Matteo Guendouzi's second-half goal was enough for Marseille to beat Rennes 1-0 in the French Cup on Friday and advance to the round of 16.

Marseille won the last of its 10 French Cup trophies in 1989 and winning it again is a top priority for determined coach Igor Tudor, whose organization of the team has led to eight straight wins in all competitions.

Guendouzi's France teammate Jordan Veretout sprinted down the right before picking him out with a pass, and Guendouzi's curled side-foot finish took a small deflection before beating Turkish goalkeeper Dogan Alemdar in the 59th minute.

Tudor's team faced a Rennes side in confident mood after beating league leader Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 last weekend.

But Ukraine midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi hit the post for Marseille with a superb free kick from 25 meters after nine minutes and veteran striker Alexis Sanchez had a goal ruled out for offside moments later for the home side.

Rennes was then getting on top of the game when it fell behind, and there was late drama at Stade Velodrome when Rennes midfielder Baptiste Santamaria's cross from the left hit the crossbar with seconds left in stoppage time.

SATURDAY'S GAMES

Toulouse hosts Ajaccio in an all-first division game, while Lyon is under pressure from its unhappy fans and can ill afford to slip up when it visits fifth-tier Chambery.

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