Marseille carved out a 1-1 draw with AC Milan at the San Siro to remain in the hunt for qualification from Group C.
All to play for in Group C after French side hold Milan
Marseille carved out a 1-1 draw with AC Milan at the San Siro to remain in the hunt for qualification from Group C in the UEFA Champions League.
The hosts took an early lead when in-form striker Marco Borriello coolly slotted home in the 10th minute as Milan looked to secure the win they needed to secure their passage to the second round.
They were undone soon after, however, as Marseille midfielder Lucho Gonzalez blasted the French side level with just 16 minutes on the clock.
In an open encounter, both sides were intent on grabbing all three points but some wayward finishing from either forward line meant the two early goals settled the contest.
Gianluca Zambrotta had the first real chance of the game after latching onto Andrea Pirlo's chipped through ball before drilling a low shot straight at Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda from an acute angle.
The home side's early pressure was then rewarded in the 10th minute as Borriello easily beat Gabriel Heinze before slotting the ball through Mandanda's legs for his first ever Champions League goal.
It was the Italian's fourth goal in his last five games as he continues to reward manager Leonardo for keeping him in the side.
Equaliser
Incredibly, the French were level against the run of play just six minutes later as captain Mamadou Niang exposed Milan full-back Massimo Oddo on the wing before poking in an awkward cross.
Milan keeper Dida got a hand on the delivery but failed to deal with the threat sufficiently as Lucho Gonzalez thumped home the loose ball from around ten yards out.
Marseille began to grow in confidence and Fabrice Abriel's long-range effort three minutes after the equaliser had Dida struggling for position but it just sailed wide of the mark.
Moments later, however, the hosts could have taken the lead as Borriello beautifully controlled a cross-field pass before being denied by a fantastic recovery tackle by Marseille defender Souleymane Diawara.
Oddo, partially at fault for the equaliser, was replaced shortly before the half-hour mark by Ignazio Abate after picking up an injury.
Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini was the first player to go into the book after leaving a foot in on Marseille goalscorer Lucho after 35 minutes.
The game began to become overrun by defensive errors as first experienced defender Alessandro Nesta was easily beaten by Niang before Diawara gifted Alexandre Pato a chance at the other end.
With neither side taking their chances, the pair went in level at the break after an open first half, with both the game and the group in the balance.
Second period
Milan carved out the first chance of the restart after five minutes as Seedorf whipped in a fine delivery with Borriello just inches away from making contact with his head.
Pato tried his luck from range on 57 minutes with a powerfully struck half-volley, but his left-foot effort was always bending away from goal.
Just before the hour-mark Zambrotta was booked for simulation after colliding with Diawara in the box following some inventive play by Ronaldinho, but referee Howard Webb correctly adjudged the defender to have dived.
The away side should have snatched the lead on 65 minutes as Edouard Cisse weighted a pass behind the Milan back-line with Niang collecting and drilling the ball across the face of goal only to see striker Brandao hit the crossbar from inside the six-yard box.
Pato showed his class on 71 minutes as he held up the ball in the area with his back to goal before doing ever so well to tee up Seedorf, whose blocked effort bounced wide.
Borriello missed another great chance to steal victory for the hosts with just eight minutes remaining as he mistimed a free header when well placed to score.
Moments later, a Pirlo delivery had to be tipped wide by Mandanda in the Marseille goal after Pato failed to get a touch on it.
At the other end, an 86th minute header from Diawara cannoned off the post from a Lucho corner with Dida rooted to the spot.
The French outfit brought on Champions League veteran Fernando Morientes in a last-ditch attempt to steal the win, but the experienced striker struggled to make an impact upon his late arrival.
The sides were forced to settle for a draw but a win in Zurich in their final game will see Milan through, with Marseille facing Real Madrid for the right to make the second round.
| Milan |
Team Statistics |
Marseille |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 8 |
Shots off Target |
10 |
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 8 |
Corners |
8 |
| 14 |
Fouls |
20 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 77.3 |
Passing Success |
81 |
| 23 |
Tackles |
23 |
| 82.6 |
Tackles Success |
78.3 |
| 51.5 |
Possession |
48.5 |
| 43.9 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.1 |
|
