PARIS: Ethan Nwaneri missed the decisive spot-kick as Olympique de Marseille crashed out of the French Cup quarter-finals on penalties against Toulouse on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in which they twice led.

Mason Greenwood’s second-minute penalty put Mar­seille ahead at the Velodrome, but Yann Gboho soon equalised for Toulouse.

Igor Paixao’s excellent curling finish restored the lead for the hosts early in the second half before Charlie Cresswell powered in a header from a corner to bring Toulouse level again.

Marseille captain Leon­ardo Balerdi had his penalty saved in the shootout and Arsenal loanee Nwaneri blazed his effort over, dashing the club’s hopes of lifting the cup for the first time since 1989.

“The disappointment is on the same level as the hope we had. We were two matches away from a final.

“We have to accept this disappointment and face up to it,” said Marseille coach Habib Beye. “We have to accept the anger and sadness of the supporters.”

It was the second time this season a team coached by Beye was eliminated from the French Cup. He was previously in charge of Rennes when they were beaten by Marseille in the last 16 at the start of February.

Toulouse, who won the competition three years ago, go into the semi-finals along with Nice and Strasbourg.

Nice edged past Lorient 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw in Brittany, where the hosts played more than half the match with 10 men after Pablo Pagis was sent off just before the interval.

Strasbourg beat last season’s runners-up Reims 2-1 on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026