HAMBURG, APRIL 21: French World Cup hero Laurent Blanc showed nerves of steel as he scored an 85th-minute second-attempt penalty which sent his team Olympique Marseille into the Uefa Cup final for the first time, on the away goal rule at ten-man Bologna.In the May 12 decider in Moscow, Marseille will run into another Italian team Parma who defeated Atletico Madrid, 2-1, on the night and 5-2 from both semifinal legs.Blanc's late strike in front of 38,500 fans yesterday cancelled out Bologna's 18th-minute goal from captain Michele Paramatti. The final 1-1 score was good enough for Marseille to advance after a goalless draw in France a fortnight ago.Blanc fired the first penalty into the middle of Francesco Antonioli's goal, but German referee Markus Merk disallowed the effort because Fabrizio Ravanelli had entered the penalty area early. Blanc was undeterred and struck low right on the second attempt.But Marseille's success was not complete until goalkeeper Stephane Porato made a heroic save against Beppo Signori three minutes into injury time. That missed opportunity was the culmination of the agony for Bologna, who in the 88th also had Giancarlo Marocchi sent off for a vicious tackle against Aboubakar Camera.Tempers were running so high that police had to separate players from both camps who had engaged in a post-match fist-fight on their way to the locker rooms.Marseille are bidding to become the first French team to win the Uefa Cup. They are appearing in their third continental final after losing the 1991 Champions Cup final to red star Belgrade, but winning the 1993 edition against AC Milan.Parma also got their first continental crown in 1993, in the Cup Winners' Cup. They were losing finalists in the same event in 1994, but in 1995 added the Uefa Cup title over Juventus. Italian clubs have won seven of the last ten Uefa Cup titles.Bologna seemed on course to what would have then been a fifth all-Serie A decider of the decade. In the 18th Signori's freekick sailed past friend and foe into the area and Paramatti blasted home for a 1-0 lead past the near post from the edge of the goalmouth.Kennet Andersson had two solid chances to increase the lead, in the 25th and 53rd. But Marseille fought for the equaliser, with Amadeo Mangone stopping Fabrizio Ravanelli at the last instance in the 42nd and Antonioli saving Robert Pires' header in the 52nd.Marseille increased their attacking efforts with substitutes Florian Maurice, Camera and Jocelyn Gouvennec. The latter two came close in the 78th after a blunder from Paramatti.Bologna's minimalists escaped this scare, but they had no happy ending because Antonioli brought down Florian Maurice in the area in the 84th to set up the decisive penalty from captain Blanc.However, there were also some tears for Marseille because Gallas and Ravanelli will have to serve yellow-card suspensions in Moscow.Parma, meanwhile, ran into an Atletico side which stubbornly fought against their second straight semifinal elimination in the Uefa Cup (they lost to Lazio in 1998) and second against Parma after the 1993 Cup Winners' Cup semis.Roberto Fresnedoso in the sixth, Luis Tevenet in the 12th, Juninho in the 14th missed first rate chances for the visitors and order on Parma's side was not restored until they captured the lead in the 35th minute. Abel Balbo took up a pass from Juan Veron, rounded goalkeeper Francesco Molina and fired into the empty net.The Spaniards still refused to bow. They continued to press and were awarded with a 62nd-minute 1-1 equaliser from Roberto's header off a corner kick, but it was all over in the 84th when Enrique Chiesa slotted home his seventh goal of the campaign.
