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The French media have reacted to Ethan Nwaneri's latest display following a potentially season-defining setback for the Arsenal loanee at Marseille.

Nwaneri, who arrived at the Ligue 1 club in January on a season-long loan deal, made his seventh appearance for his new side on Wednesday evening in the Coupe de France against Toulouse.

The 18-year-old midfielder was introduced at half-time at the Stade Velodrome, with the quarter-final encounter delicately poised at 1-1. Nwaneri almost repaid Habib Beye's confidence in the 67th minute with the game level at 2-2, rattling the frame of the goal with his effort.

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The match would go to penalties, where the Hale End academy star awaited his spot kick. The youngster was handed responsibility for Marseille's crucial fifth spot-kick to force sudden death.

However, in scenes reminiscent of a young Bukayo Saka at Euro 2020, Nwaneri fired his effort high over the crossbar, sending Toulouse into the semi-finals while eliminating Marseille from the competition. The usually stoic teenager instantly recognised the significance of his miss and stood devastated with his head buried in his hands.

That didn't spare him from harsh criticism in the French media for a player who arguably shouldn't have shouldered such responsibility ahead of more experienced teammates. L'Equipe gave Nwaneri a 4/10 performance rating, branding him as the individual who "let qualification slip" through his penalty miss.

The outlet highlighted his limited contribution in open play but recognised his attempts to impact the game after coming on. It also refused to blame the 18-year-old for taking on a responsibility that "should have fallen to others".

Eurosport France noted that Marseille's midfield struggled after Himad Abdelli was replaced by the youngster. It noted how Beye’s side "lost some of its solidity in midfield against the more incisive visitors" with the change.

Get French Football News described Nwaneri's penalty miss as the defining moment of the match. Meanwhile, So Foot questioned why he was handed the enormous pressure of taking the fifth and final penalty.

Foot Mercato agreed, labelling it a "surprising choice". The publication said Nwaneri’s substitution didn’t bring stability to Marseille and allowed Toulouse to take control of the midfield.

Awarding Nwaneri a match rating of 4/10, they wrote: "The substitution tended to unbalance the defensive block and open up space in midfield. The young Englishman struggled to find his footing and often played the ball backwards. He was the one who missed OM's final penalty, which proved fatal."

It represents another brutal learning curve in Nwaneri's brief but intense time in France. Despite a brilliant start in Marseille's white and blue—marked by a goal on his debut—Nwaneri's loan spell has taken a difficult turn, largely due to the turbulent circumstances at the club.

Within days of making his debut, Nwaneri came close to receiving the first red card of his careerafter a reckless high challenge against Rennes. Roberto De Zerbi, the manager responsible for bringing him to Marseille, then left following a humiliating 5-0 defeat to PSG in February.

Since the managerial change, his involvement has been limited to just 46 minutes as a substitute in Ligue 1, remaining unused against Strasbourg. With Marseille’s French Cup exit, it remains to be seen whether he will receive those crucial minutes in the league, which led to him being loaned out by Mikel Arteta in the first place.