Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri missed a critical penalty for Marseille in the French club’s Coupe de France quarter-final tie against Toulouse on Wednesday night.
Les Phoceens were held to a 2-2 draw in normal time at the Stade Velodrome, with goals from Mason Greenwood and Igor Paixio cancelled out by strikes from Yann Ghobo and Charlie Cresswell. Toulouse were subsequently able to take the tie to penalties, where they sealed their progression to the semi-finals with a 4-3 shootout win.
Nwaneri, who was introduced from the bench at half-time, stepped up and skied the decisive spot-kick, ending Marseille’s chances of securing silverware this term. Unsurprisingly, the fallout has been dramatic as the club that recently parted company with Roberto De Zerbi continues to spiral.
French media react to Ethan Nwaneri’s penalty miss vs Toulouse
Nwaneri was sent to Marseille on loan in January to play regular minutes and continue his development. However, since scoring on his debut, things haven’t transpired in the way the midfielder would’ve hoped.
A collapse on matchday eight of the Champions League league phase, away at Club Brugge, saw the Ligue 1 outfit crash out of European competition in shock circumstances. This exit from the continental tournament ultimately prompted the Marseille hierarchy to call time on De Zerbi’s stint in the south of France.
Ethan Nwaneri skies his penalty and Toulouse eliminate Marseille from the Coupe de France ‼️ pic.twitter.com/KbGPE8u8wO
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 4, 2026
Habib Beye was appointed as the Italian’s successor, and it’s fair to say Nwaneri doesn’t rank as highly in the former Newcastle player’s estimations as he did in the ex-Brighton boss’. The 18-year-old hasn’t started a game since the managerial change, in a run that now spans four matches.
He did, however, have a chance to stake a claim for more involvement against Toulouse, but was unable to take advantage. After failing to convert his penalty, Nwaneri was reduced to tears, and French media have unsurprisingly criticised him for the miss.
SO Foot awarded him a 3/10 in their player ratings, writing: “He will still be able to digest the elimination and Christophe Josse’s ‘Nwanewi’ with an English Championship title.”
Meanwhile, Get French Football News lamented Nwaneri’s scuffed effort that hit the post in normal time, before describing his shootout mishap as the defining moment of the match.
Elsewhere, RMC Sport wrote that “Nwaneri precipitated the elimination of the Phocaean club and provoked the anger of some ultras after the final whistle.”
RMC pundit Daniel Riolo criticised Beye’s selection of penalty takers, noting Nwaneri and Leonardo Balerdi as players who “should never have taken a penalty”.
Arsenal should try to recall Ethan Nwaneri
SO Foot was right in that, at least Nwaneri may be able to console himself with a Premier League winners’ medal come the end of the season. After Arsenal beat Brighton on Wednesday, the Gunners moved even closer to securing their first title since 2004.
That said, the Hale End graduate could still play a part in helping the North Londoners secure silverware this campaign. While it’s understood that there was no official recall clause included in Nwaneri’s loan deal, Arsenal could surely negotiate with Marseille and try to arrange an amendment to this deal, if the player continues not to feature regularly at the Stade Velodrome.
Last time out against the Seagulls…
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 27, 2025
Ethan Nwaneri caps off a flowing Gunners move in the Carabao Cup 😮💨
🤝 @Bitpanda_global pic.twitter.com/U9ScqPRNW8
The teenager is having a torrid time in France, and he’s not playing the volume of minutes that justify him being there. Cameos off the bench in Ligue 1 for the rest of the season aren’t going to improve his game significantly.
Instead, he could come back to Arsenal and play a handful of games in the pursuit of multiple trophies. With Mikel Merino out for the season and both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard struggling with injuries, there are midfield opportunities available at the Emirates.
