Marseille claims French Cup in Abbeville

Shortly after a new victory in the Champions League (over Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday), Marseille continued its series of successes on the domestic scene.

Marseille won the 2021/22 French Cup beating Noisy-le-Sec in the final (17:11).

The French Cup wasn’t played in the past several years. This season, the Cup returned on the calendar and was named after Pierre Garsau, a French Olympian who died in 1997 at the age of 35.

Eight teams took part in the competition (the teams placed 1st-8th after the first half of the regular season in the national league). They battled for the trophy at a three-day tournament in Abbeville from Friday to Sunday.

Marseille played with a shortened roster because some of the key players didn’t arrive in Abbeville, but it recorded three convincing wins in three days.

2021/22 French Cup – “Trophy Pierre Garsau” (Abbeville, January 28 – 30)

Day 1 – quarterfinals

Tourcoing – Pays d’ Aix 11:10 (2:3, 3:1, 2:3, 4:3)
Tourcoing: Canonne 3, Kujacic 3, Randjic 2, Rocchietta 2,Avena 1.
Pays d’Aix: Popadic 3, Khasz 3, Grgurevic 2, Giga 1, Betelle 1.

Marseille – Sete 19:4 (7:1, 2:0, 3:3, 7:0)
Marseille: Bouet 4, Vernoux 4, Spaic 3, Marion-Vernoux 3, Bodegas 2, Vukicevic 1.
Sete: Keuning 1, Lopinot 1, Furman 1, Aquila 1.

Noisy-le-Sec – Douai 17:16 (1:2, 3:2, 5:5, 3:3, PSO 5:4)
Noisy-le-Sec: Petkovic 6, Saudadier 2, Bjorch 1, Peisson 1, Marzouki 1, Guerin 1.
FNC Douai: Vitrant 3, Gorria 3, Michel 2, Vandamme 1, Degaille 1, Balaz 1, Beteille 1

Strasbourg – Reims 19:10 (5:1, 3:3, 5:2, 6:4)
Strasbourg: Misic 4, Valentino 4, Missy 3, Denux 3, Cesca 2, Chion 1, Babic 1, Buha 1.
Reims: Jakhaia 5, Culina 3, Lambert 1, Pesteric 1.

Pays d’Aix and Tourcoing were in a neck-and-neck race. Two minutes before the end, Pays d’Aix earned a 10:8 lead – two goals separated the rivals for the first time. But, Tourcoing scored three unanswered goals in the last 96 seconds and secured a spot in the semifinals (11:10).

Noisy-le-Sec fought a hard battle with Douai, which had a 12:10 lead with two minutes to go. However, Noisy managed to equalize and had stronger nerves in a penalty shootout.

Marseille beat Sete easily. Strasbourg passed its first hurdle defeating Reims convincingly.

Day 2

Semifinals 1st – 4th 

Marseille – Tourcoing 21:9 (7:3, 5:3, 4:2, 5:1)
Marseille: Crousillat 5, Bouet 4, Vernoux 3, Vanpeperstraete 3, Kovacevic 2, Vukicevic 1, Izdinsky 1,Vukicevic 1, Bodegas 1.
Tourcoing: Canonne 3, Randjic 2, Rocchietta , Kujacic 2.

Strasbourg – Noisy-le-Sec 8:10 (1:1, 3:3, 1:3, 3:3)
Team Strasbourg: Babic 4, Bachelier 1, Missy 1, Valentino 1, Canovas 1.
Cercle 93 Noisy-le-Sec: Marzouki 3, Petkovic 2, Do Carmo 2, Prioteasa 2, Peisson 1.

Semifinals 5th – 8th place

Douai – Sete 17:11 (3:2, 6:3, 4:2, 4:4)
FNC Douai:Vandamme 3, Vitrant 3, Gorria 3, Lepoint 2, Balaz 2, Begovic 2, Lasseron 1Beteille 1.
Sete Natation: Jovanovic 3, Furman 2, Aquila 1, Lopinot 1, Keunng 1, Sonie 1, Sauton 1, Chandieu 1.

Reims – Pays d’Aix 13:17 (1:4, 6:5, 4:5, 2:3)
Stade de Reims: Pesteric 7, Jakhaia 4, Dubar 1, Culina 1.
Pays d’Aix: Bakircilar 4, Khasz 3, Grgurevic 3, Monneret 2, Popadic2, Drahe 2, Beteille 1.

The third quarter was vital for Noisy’s victory over Strasbourg in the semifinals. After two balanced quarters (1:1, 3:3), Noisy earned a 2-goal lead in the third period (7:5). Strasbourg managed to half the distance in the fourth quarter (6:7, 7:8, 8:9), but Noisy responded after each of these three goals and recorded a 10:8 victory.

Marseille was too strong for Tourcoing.

Day 3 – matches for the final classification

FINAL

Noisy-le-Sec – Marseille 11:17 (3:4, 3:5, 2:4, 3:4)

The final of the French Cup was a replay of the 2021 French League playoffs final. Last season, Marseille defeated Noisy to win its 38th title.

Both teams were incomplete at the tournament in Abbeville. Three key players – Andrija Prlainovic, Ugo Crousillat and Uros Cuckovic didn’t play for Marseille in the quarterfinal against Sete. Crousillat joined the team on Day 2, but Olympic champion Prlainovic and Cuckovic missed the semifinal and the final match. Marseille had 11 players on the roster in the quarterfinals. Coach Milos Scepanovic had 12 available players for the semifinal and the gold-medal match. Noisy arrived in Abbeville without its first goalkeeper Stefan Zivojinovic.

The Parisians started well and kept up with Marseille in the first quarter. Still, Marseille took control and built a crucial advantage in the middle two periods. Before the final quarter, Marseille led 13:8 and it was clear that it would win the trophy.

Bronze-medal match

Strasbourg – Tourcoing 11:15 (3:3, 3:6, 1:5, 4:1)

Tourcoing won bronze after a 15:11 victory over Strasbourg.

5th-place match

Pays d’Aix – Douai 14:6 (4:3, 2:2, 3:1, 5:0)
Pays d’Aix: Khasz 3, Giga 3, Grgurevic 2, Monneret2, Bakircilar 1, Popadic 1,Bougaret 1, L. Beteille 1.
FNC Douai: Vitrant 2, Vandamme 1, Begovic 1, T.Betielle 1, Lepoint 1.

7th-place match

Reims – Sete 13:14 (3:1, 4:4, 1:4, 2:1, PSO 3:4)
Stade de Reims: Culina 3, De Bie 2, Pesteric 2, Dubar 1, Blary 1, Jakhaia 1.
Sete Natation: Keuning 2, Jovanovic 2, Furman 2, Vujovic 2, Sauton 2

Final standings: 1. Marseille, 2. Noisy-le-Sec, 3. Tourcoing, 4. Strasbourg, 5.Pays d’Aix, 6. Douai, 7.Sete, 8. Reims.