Missed chances irk Deschamps

Marseille boss Didier Deschamps rued dropping two points after his side’s 1-1 draw at home to Valenciennes on Saturday.

Midfielder Alou Diarra opened the scoring for the hosts at Stade Velodrome, before the visitors hit back through Brazilian Gil in the second half and held on to snatch an unlikely point.

It lifted Marseille into fourth in Ligue 1, but they are a huge 11 points adrift of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Deschamps was left frustrated after the draw, and said the result was a case of points dropped against a mid-table side.

“They must be happy regarding the number of chances they had because we did not manage to retake the lead after a good first half,” he said.

“Even if the end of the game was very open, when you don’t score a second goal and the other side fights until the end, the result is hard for us tonight because we lose two points.”

With Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier to meet on Sunday, Marseille will fall further behind in the title race.

Deschamps, whose side meet the out-of-form Inter Milan in their Champions League round-of-16 first-leg on Wednesday, said his team was still in the title race.

“It’s not over but one has to be realistic. I do dream sometimes like everyone, but I have to see things as they are,” he said.

“Today, especially after a draw at home in a game we should have won. I was hugely optimistic before and our chances haven’t increased in the meantime.”