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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Sport
Paul Myers

Woe, woe and thrice woe as Monaco, Rennes and Nantes crash out of Europa League

Angel Di Maria scored all three goals in Juventus' demolition of Nantes which allowed the Italian club to move into the last-16 of the Europa League. REUTERS - STEPHANE MAHE

Ligue 1 outfits Monaco, Rennes and Nantes will return to French top flight duties this weekend licking their wounds after failing to advance to the last-16 of the Europa League.

Nantes – who drew 1-1 in Turin on 16 February in the first leg against Juventus – were destroyed 3-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Argentine World Cup winner Angel Di Maria opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute and the hosts imploded.

Nantes defender Nicolas Pallois was sent off in the 17th minute after handling Di Maria's goalbound shot.

The 35-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain star converted the subsequent penalty and Di Maria put the icing on the cake when he completed his hat trick 12 minutes from time.

"Juventus were superior to us, there's really nothing more to say," said Nantes boss Antoine Kombouaré.

"We didn't exist especially at the start. We didn't live up to the occasion, quite simply. We are all responsible, me first."

Chance

Nantes, who entered the Europa League after winning the Coupe de France, will play in the last eight of that competition on Wednesday night against Lens.

Before they continue the defence of their crown, Kombouaré's men host Rennes who lost on penalties to Shakhtar Donetsk after the game finished 3-3 on aggregate

The Ukrainians went into the second leg at Roazhon Park leading 2-1.

Karl Toko Ekambi's goal just after the pause brought the scores level on aggregate and eventually into extra-time where substitute Ibrahim Salah added Rennes' second.

But it did not prove decisive. Rennes defender Jeanuel Belocian put through his own net a minute from the end of extra-time to level the match and set up the penalty shoout-out which the Ukrainians won 5-4.

Slump

Monaco also left the competition in similar fashion. After winning 3-2 at Bayer Leverkusen last week, they lost by the same score to bring about shoot-out.

The Germans won 5-3 to move into the draw for the last-16 and leave only two French clubs in European competitions. Nice – in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League – and Paris Saint-Germain who play the seocnd leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League against Bayern Munich on 8 March.

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