The 1985-1986 season was very special for Olympique de Marseille and was a turning point in the history of the club. The businessman Bernard Tapie was interested in OM and recovered the club at the end of the season. A season marked by the good Olympien run in the Coupe de France.
OM performed average in the league. A year after their return to the first division, the Olympiens, coached by Zarko Olarevic, finished twelfth in D1. But in the Coupe de France, it was another story. They made a very deep run. The Marseillais competed against Montauban and qualified for the round of 16 with a 2-3 win in January 1986.
A NEW FINAL OF COUPE DE FRANCE
From the round of 16, the matches were played back and forth and OM won against Pont-Saint-Esprit (0-0, 2-0). OM then faced Blénod and won big in the first leg (3-0) before getting the draw in the second leg (1-1). In the quarterfinals, Les Olympiens beat RC Paris and in the semifinals, Olarevic's players faced Rennes and just barely qualified for the final (2-0 A, 1-1 R). Despite a rather favorable draw, the Phocaeans still had to excel to reach the final.
Ten years after its last victory in the Coupe de France, OM was preparing to play another final in the Coupe de France. And it is against Bordeaux that they would compete for the trophy on 30 April, 1986. Bernard Tapie, who has just taken the lead of Marseille, is present in the stands of the Parc des Princes. The task looks tough for OM against a very solid Bordeaux (with Tigana, Giresse, Dropsy, Battiston ...).
But OM flies through the first half. The club gets a penalty just before halftime and Diallo deceives Dominique Dropsy (0-1, 45). At the start of the second half, Marseille hit the crossbar via Diallo. A few minutes later, Jean Tigana equalized with a nice strike for the Girondins de Bordeaux (1-1, 52).
No winner is determined before the end of regulation. Extra time comes and goes, but is rather sterile. Until the 117th minute ... The Marseillais stop playing believing that Tigana is called offside. But Bordeaux benefits and continues to play. Tigana crosses to Alain Giresse, who tries a magnificent lob. Bell, the goalkeeper from Marseille, can do nothing and Bordeaux takes the advantage three minutes from the end of extra time (2-1, 117). The Marseillais are devastated at the final whistle, including Christophe Galtier, then aged 19.
