Drogba vs Newcastle 2004: Marseille Memory & Iconic Dribble

“Oh, no, it can’t be forgotten…“From Greece, José Anigo didn’t hesitate for a second before calling us back.”In a career, there are moments like that… It’s obvious, there are a lot of bad moments. But the good ones erase everything else. And, there, you discover something that makes football worth living.” Ce “thing“, it’s a semi-final second leg of what was still called the UEFA Cup at the time.

We are in 2004. A few months earlier, engaged in the Champions League, Olympique de Marseille had been unable to do anything against Real Madrid, and, above all, FC Porto, future winner of the competition. Third with only one victory in six matches, OM is transferred to C3. In the round of 16, it’s still tricky, with a tense qualification against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on a goal from Drogba (1-0; 0-0). Guess this will trigger everything else.

A trembling Vélodrome

Liverpool are dismissed in the round of 16 (1-1; 2-1), same thing for Inter Milan in the quarters (1-0, 1-0). Five years after 1999 and the slap in the final by Parma (0-3), OM have the opportunity to return to the European final again. But, for that, we have to get rid of Newcastle. And not from just any Newcastle. That of Alan Shearer, Shola Ameoby, Lee Bowyer, Gary Speed, Shay Given, all trained by the legend Sir Bobby Robson.

“There are a lot of fears about the drawpromet Steve Marlet. Newcastle was a big armada.” But on the first leg, in the legendary St James Park, Marseille brought home a good draw (0-0).”There, we suffered a lot“, replied José Anigo. “We should have made a difference at home, but we were not effective“, still regrets Laurent Robert, formerly of PSG, who wore the Magpies jersey. “We had still eliminated Liverpool and Inter, so we believed in itrecalls Marlet. At 0-0, we start to dream. We went to the green in a golf course in Aix-en-Provence before the match. We didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves, it was quite relaxed.“

With obviously the away goal rule in force at the time, anything is possible for the return to the Vélodrome. “We arrive for the field reconnaissance: the stadium is already full“, Laurent Batlles is still surprised. “Our entire arrival at the stadium was like that, in this madnesswhen you’re sorry. But the flash, instantly, is the moment when we come out of the tunnel to play the match. Honestly, I have rarely seen the Vélodrome so hot. And, above all, I don’t know, it’s weird, but I had the impression that the stadium was starting to move. It was impressive“.Yes, when we entered, it was grandiose“. “We felt it was a special eveningcontinues Steve Marlet. With great anticipation. And this image of arriving on the field, with the tifos, the atmosphere…“

At stake is a place in the final, thirteen days later, in Gothenburg, Sweden. “Jdaring was strong to heat us up for important meetingsobserve Marlet. We were really overmotivated.” 18th minute: free kick in the middle for the Magpies forty meters from the Olympian cages. Distance which has never scared Laurent Robert and his left paw capable of lighting from a long distance. The Frenchman surprises everyone and feints towards the left for another Frenchman, Olivier Bernard. The center is pushed back by a Marseille header, then a second, which provokes an express counter from Camel Meriem, after a very poor reading of the trajectory signed by Hugo Viana, the Newcastle midfielder.

Meriem serves Didier Drogba. One touch, two touches, three touches, and a dribble never seen before against Aaron Hughes. This gesture with the ball behind the leg to completely mystify the English defender, and conclude from the left in a crazy atmosphere (1-0, 18th). “In our system, Didier was rather isolatedanalysis José Ago. He was relieved of defensive work. When I saw him leave, I knew he had pep, energy. He was walking on water that season, so you tell yourself it’s going to end.” “At the start of the action, it was a little poorly startednote Steve Marlet. He manages to regain focus precisely with this gesture.“

This gesture. THE gesture. Remained almost iconic. “Ah this gesture… Many do it todaylaughs José Anigo. Sometimes I come across it on social media. I relive it every time like I experienced it on the bench.” Laurent Batlles is precisely on the bench at the time of the counter: “We all get up and wait to see. Except that we end up with someone who makes a gesture that had perhaps never been seen before. It’s also the charm of this match to experience something that didn’t exist..” “Didier was surprising because he pulled out things for you in every match“, notes Marlet.

Still amazed years later, Demetrius Ferreira, former Marseille full-back, remembers what happened next, smiling: “When he hits, he misses, but it goes in. If he takes the ball better, maybe he doesn’t score… What he did was phenomenal.“The little strike from the left surprises Shay Given who can do absolutely nothing.”We know Didier. And there was a great Drogba“, lance Laurent Robert, encore amer. “It’s called talentapplauds Brahim Hemdani, holder that evening. But at 1-0, there was always uncertainty, with this away goal rule, we were a bit on the fence. Nothing was done.”

The rest will be long, very long, excessively long. “OWe had in our heads that we could achieve this featnarrates Demetrius Ferreira. We were warriors. We knew that if we played with our weapons, to be present mentally and technically, we knew we could do it.” In the second half, OM are cowering in defense and fear the slightest goal which would mean the end of their hopes of a final. We are not far from a miracle when Ameobi sends his firecracker over the top (53rd) or when Bowyer does not target very closely (77th).”To be very honest, I never imagined that we could not passpromises José Anigo, who replaced Alain Perrin in January in the face of OM’s very mediocre results in Ligue 1 that season. Sometimes, on the bench we feel stress, etc. But there, I didn’t have the feeling that anything negative could happen to us.”

“The Murder” by poet Lee Bowyer

Fallers of PSV Eindhoven, Mallorca or FC Basel in the previous rounds, the English feel that the match is slipping away from them. The frustration is immense. And it’s Sylvain N’Diaye who pays the price. “I’m getting murdered by Lee Bowyersmiles the Senegalese. Towards the sidelines, the ball will come out, I protect and I feel that it is coming with both feet.“The images are impressive, yet Ndiaye admits:”It doesn’t hurt me, I’m acting a little. Bowyer did not have a reputation for writing poetry. This kind of tackle made no sense.”

The Englishman gets away with a simple yellow card. Marseille is holding up the shock, especially physically. “I don’t remember that, athletically, Newcastle were above us, quite the contrary“, remarks Steve Marlet, almost surprised in the face of a team from the still very solid Premier League.

The “worked” combination of the second goal

82nd minute: Laurent Batlles has just caused a free kick, completely on the right, not far from the corner post. Drogba brings Beye and Méïté together outside the area and tells them something. Batlles takes charge of the free kick. Beye and Mïté advance, with Drogba just behind them. The Ivorian pretends to follow them before positioning himself at the penalty spot, facing a totally disconcerted Andrew O’Brien. Batlles, warned of the plan, addresses a perfect ball. Double from Drogba (2-0, 82nd).

“Yes it was workedannounces José Anigo. There was nothing great. It was the first time we did it, it worked. Sometimes, when things work for you, they work all the time. Laurent Battles laughs :We didn’t work on it at all! When I find myself taking the free kick, I tell Drogba to try it with Habib and Abdou (Méïté). It was never really worked.” Intended or not, this combination definitely takes Newcastle down.”This is the most important element of the matchestimate Brahim Hamdani. We on the pitch and the supporters in the stands, everyone understood what was going to happen.”

Namely a qualification for a European final, the fourth in Olympian history after 1991, 1993 and 1999. “One magical evening, we didn’t touch the groundsays Steve Marlet. Everything came together.” “You are on cloud nineconfirms Anigo. A real moment of sharing and happiness with the people of Marseille. That moment at the end with the people left in the stadium is something that stays for life.“The opportunity to realize all this European progress since the Champions League.”Such a special journeyagrees Laurent Batlles. We left Ukraine, facing Dnipropetrovsk, on rotten terrain. Something was created in the European Cup that we didn’t have in the championship. Maybe we couldn’t take on both. It created enthusiasm in Marseille.”

The future coach of Saint-Etienne, Troyes or Clermont depicts the spirit of the group at the time: “We were a team with simple players. We had Fabien (Barthez), Didier (Drogba) or Steve (Marlet), but there weren’t really any stars. It was a team that showed values of self-sacrifice, and also a lot of simplicity.“

Drogba, future Bakayoko and idol of a people

And therefore the ever-greater advent of a future legend: Didier Drogba. “He confirmed that he was wearing the team that year“, applauds Marlet. Unstoppable at this time of the season, but not so high a few months earlier. “His start to the season was difficultrecalls N’Diaye. In the stands, we could hear sentences like ‘We have recruited the new Bakayoko again (Editor’s note: Named after Ibrahima Bakayoko, former Ivorian striker for OM, not always praised for his scoring qualities…).’ But he silenced everyone because he worked. I remember staying with him quite regularly after training sessions to give him crosses, to hit his free kicks…“

Didier Drogba after his double against Newcastle

Credit: Getty Images

“Didier is one of the people you have the pleasure and honor to meet“, pays tribute again to José Anigo. “He had to be injured in the final for it to be difficult for us“, tempers Steve Marlet, regarding Didier Drogba who is far from being physically fit for the final, and who will not really be able to help his team resist against Valencia (0-3).”He was in complete confidenceagrees Batlles on the scoring qualities of his former teammate. You felt like someone who was in no way in doubt. During this period, every time he struck, there was a goal. In a context where he was really a hard worker.“

Their real final was this one

Newcastle’s evening will end late at night in Aix-en-Provence. And the effect of this suspended moment will reverberate over an entire city for a few days. “This evening… There are so many good memories. It was magical“, Demetrius Ferreira still dreams. “And then we stayed on the lawn I don’t know how longSteve Marlet is almost surprised. It really felt like a won final.”

Laurent Batlles sums up:I’ve had some great evenings in my career. But, there, in a particular context, with a finale at the end… It’s something that you don’t experience many times in your life. These are sweet memories, both happy and nostalgic. It’s been so long, but we don’t forget.” “Marseille, in good times and badit’s always overdrive, concludes José Anigo. It lasted a few days until the final. It was a gift from the players and from life.”

The joy of Marseille after qualifying for the Europa League final

Credit: Getty Images