Krong Angkor

Marseille pip Lille to League Cup semis

PARIS (AFP) - Mathieu Valbuena's late strike earned Marseille a 2-1 victory over 10-man Lille in a pulsating French League Cup quarter-final at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.

Valbuena swept home Mamadou Niang's cutback with eight minutes remaining after Lille, third in Ligue 1 and a place above Marseille, had midfielder Yohan Cabaye sent off 11 minutes into the second period for two bookable offences.

Tulio De Melo had given the visitors a fifth-minute lead when he finished off a slick counter-attack but Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez slammed home moments later to bring Marseille level.

Lyon's quest for silverware this season took a further blow when they went down to a 1-0 quarter-final defeat at Lorient.

The decisive goal arrived in the fourth minute when Kevin Gameiro got in front of Lyon's new defender Dejan Lovren to dispatch a crisp volley past Remy Vercoutre in the visitors' goal.

Claude Puel's Lyon were knocked out of the French Cup by Monaco on Sunday and are 11 points behind league leaders Bordeaux, while they will face the mighty Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

"It's a huge disappointment, the French Cup and the League Cup were real targets for us and now they've gone," said a downhearted Puel.

"We put some real effort in, now we have to make sure we recover well."

Lorient, eighth in Ligue 1, and Marseille were joined in the last four by Toulouse, who overcame reigning French Cup champions Guingamp of the second division 1-0 thanks to a 55th-minute effort by defender Albin Ebondo.

The remaining last-eight tie between second-tier Sedan and cup holders Bordeaux, who defeated Le Mans 3-2 in a delayed round of 16 game on Tuesday, will take place at Bordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas on February 2.