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Drogba powers Marseille to Cup finals
Didier Drogba double sealed Marseille's place in the final of the UEFA Cup as they beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the semi-final.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:06 AM IST
Read Time: 2 min
Marseille:
Didier Drogba double sealed Marseille's place in the final of the UEFA Cup as they beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday night.
Drogba, who has scored 11 goals in European competition this season, scored in either half to earn Marseille a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Marseille and Newcastle battled for a place in the UEFA Cup final when they met at the Stade Velodrome for the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday night.
Missed chances
Didier Drogba gave Marseille the lead in the 18th minute.
After breaking forward from a Newcastle free kick, the speedy striker turned inside Aaron Hughes before slotting the ball past Shay Given to make it 1-0 and continue his run of scoring in each round of the competition.
Newcastle, who were missing several of their first team players because of injury, had their chances in the second half.
Slack defending could have cost the visitors dear in the 61st minute when Steve Marlet was allowed a clear sight of goal, only for his deflected shot to curl off target.
At the other end of the pitch, Marseille's defence was holding firm in the face of sustained Newcastle pressure, although Lee Bowyer had a half chance to level the score in the 78th minute.
The Newcastle substitute shot wide of the far post from a difficult angle after an Ameobi header.
Drogba magic
Marseille sealed the win, and their place in the UEFA Cup final, four minutes later. A well worked free kick found Drogba unmarked on the penalty spot and the Ivory Coast international confidently side footed into the back of the Newcastle net.
Drogba, who has scored 11 goals in European competition this season, was substituted in the final minute of the match and received a standing ovation from the 60,000 strong crowd.
His goals have been key to Marseille's run in the competition and the French side will be hoping for more when they play Valencia in the final in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 19. (AP)
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