Football
Mark Rodden 8y

Marseille's Abou Diaby relieved to have played full 90 minutes

Former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has expressed his relief after helping Marseille qualify for the Coupe de France final by playing his first full match since joining the club.

Diaby, 29, got through the full 90 minutes on Wednesday as Florian Thauvin scored the only goal to set up a date with arch rivals Paris Saint-Germain next month.

The France international joined Marseille last July but after a fresh struggle with injuries he only made his first appearance for the club in March.

Diaby had not played since September 2014, when on Arsenal's books, before featuring in a 5-2 loss against Rennes and he followed that up by making his first start for Marseille in their 2-1 loss at Bastia earlier this month.

After Marseille manager Michel was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, Diaby earned a recall for the match at Ligue 2 side Sochaux.

"It's a huge relief to have played the whole match," the former Auxerre midfielder told L'Equipe. "It's been a long time since I've played for as long.

"I'm very happy -- all the more so since there was a win at the end. Now there are a few matches left to continue this momentum and prepare well for the final.

"This victory will give us confidence and we're in good condition to tackle the next games in the league well."

Thauvin's goal, set up by Steven Fletcher early in the second half, ended a run of seven matches without a win for Marseille, who are only six points above the relegation zone.

Thauvin told Eurosport that it would also serve as a boost to him and on-loan Sunderland striker Fletcher, who were both signed in the winter transfer window.

"We played a good match," said Thauvin, who has returned to the club on loan from Newcastle. "The state of mind was there and you see the difference immediately.

"I'm really happy because the supporters and the club really needed that.

"For Fletcher and I, it was not always easy to arrive in a team that was in difficulty but we didn't give up."

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