Marseille edge Zilina to record first win

French champions Marseille beat Slovakian side MSK Zilina 1-0 here on Tuesday to record their first win and pick up their first points in the Champions League this season.

Souleymane Diawara’s 48th-minute header was enough to keep alive Marseille’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time since they won the competition with present coach Didier Deschamps as captain in 1993.

The hosts pressed hard from the whistle at Stade Velodrome, forcing five corners in the opening 15 minutes.

The Marseille strikers started to find their range as French international Andre-Pierre Gignac forced Zilina goalkeeper Martin Dubravka into a fine save in the 11th minute.

A brilliant piece of play by winger Mathieu Valbuena in the 25th minute almost provided the hosts with a deserved lead.

Valbuena powered down the right wing, beat a defender and then found Andre Ayew with a low cross to the edge of the area, which the Ghana star fired just wide.

Zilina posed little threat up front, with gangly Gambian youngster Momodou Ceesay unable to use his superior height to much effect.

However, the 21-year-old produced a goal-saving touch in the final minute of the first half to deny Marseille striker Brandao.

The Brazilian, yet to score this season, looked set to end his goal drought as he was set up just two yards out by Gignac’s excellent header across goal, but Ceesay did enough to distract him and he skied the ball over the bar.

Diawara had been fortunate not to concede a penalty for a foul on Ceesay in the first half but he broke the deadlock shortly after the break when Dubravka made a total hash of saving his downward header.

Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was forced into his first real save of the night in the 63rd minute, as Zilina captain Robert Jez’s fierce strike had the France international diving at full stretch to turn his shot away for a corner.