Baup feels hard done by

Frustrated Marseille coach Ellie Baup felt his side were hard done by as they exited the Europa League with a whimper on Thursday.

The Ligue 1 side were defeated 1-0 at the Velodrome by Turkish giants Fenerbahce putting them an unassailable three points behind second-placed Borussia Monchengladbach in Group C given the German side’s superior head-to-head record.

Turkey international Bekir Irtegun’s sublime overhead strike five minutes before half-time was all that separated the sides and Baup was left to question how his side did not score.

“I’m very disappointed because of the context of the match. Mainly in the second half, we had almost all of the possession,” Baup said.

“We had opportunities, but one moment where we were not concentrating was enough (for Fenerbahce to score).

Baup admitted his side’s form early in the competition showed plenty of promise but said in the end it proved only an exercise to field some of the clubs younger players.

“The Europa League allowed us to get into a good rhythm at the beginning of the season and to start the league season very well with three wins,” he said.

“But this competition has allowed us to give young players starts and also to get some players back in shape who needed to play matches, like Souleymane Diawara or Joey Barton.

“The way the young players played gives hope for the future even if we all still need to work hard.

“So it was useful, but I regret that it’s over for us. But this group phase allowed us to progress as a team.”