Olympique Marseille 6-1 FC Zurich: OM Keep Qualification Chances Alive With Emphatic Victory

Olympique Marseille trounced FC Zurich 6-1 to keep their chances of progressing from their Champions League group alive.

Nov 3, 2009 9:45:14 PM

More On :  FC Zurich, Olympique de Marseille, Olympique de Marseille vs FC Zurich
Ligue 1 : Brandao (Olympique de Marseille)

Olympique Marseille hosted FC Zurich in Champions League Group C action. Both teams were on three points going into the match, with Real Madrid and Milan topping the group with six points.
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The home side opened the scoring after just four minutes, as Zurich midfielder Silvan Aegerter inadvertently deflected a free kick from Mamadou Niang past goalkeeper Johnny Leoni.

Marseille took control of the match after that, and in the 11th minute they scored a second time. Fabrice Abriel floated in a free kick that was missed by everyone and went straight into the back of the net.

The French side came close to scoring a third goal seven minutes later, when Benoit Cheyrou made a great run and fired a shot on goal that was well saved by Leoni.

In the 25th minute, Brandao also had a chance for Marseille, as Leoni played a poor goal kick that was picked up by the striker, but his shot went over the bar.

However, at the half hour mark Zurich pulled one back out of nothing, as the home side lost the ball and Dusan Djuric played the ball to Alexandre Alphonse, who fired a precise shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area.

Marseille reacted well after that, and in the 33rd minute a free kick by Cheyrou found Souleymane Diawara, who tried an overhead kick that was superbly saved by Leoni.

Two minutes later, Zurich were on the attack again and Onyekachi Okonkwo’s swirling shot from distance went just wide.

In injury time of the first half, there were two more chances for both sides. In the 47th minute, Djuric had a chance to equalise for the visitors but fired his shot wide from the left side of the area. In any event, the referee had already stopped the play for offside.

A minute later, Brandao controlled a pass by Abriel and fired it into the back of the net, but he was also ruled to be offside.

During the break Zurich coach Bernard Challandes made one substitution, replacing Aegerter with Milan Gajic, a midfielder for another midfielder.

Two minutes into the second half, there was already a chance for Zurich through substitute Admir Mehmedi, who had come in to replace the injured Johan Vonlanthen. The Macedonian striker found space for a shot from the left side of the area after a quick counterattack, but his effort sailed over the bar.

Seven minutes into the second half, Marseille found a third goal as after Zurich cheaply lost possession in midfield, Niang and Bakary Kone played a nice one-two that was rounded off by the Senegalese striker with a nice lob.

The visitors reacted and threatened to pull one back in the 65th minute, Djuric broke the offside trap and skipped past the goalkeeper, but defender Gary Bocaly came up with a great tackle on the Swedish striker to prevent a certain goal.

Eight minutes later, there looked to be a penalty for the home side as Niang played it into the area to Brandao, who was pushed, but the linesman already had his flag up for offside.

In the 80th minute, Marseille completely killed off the match with a fourth goal, as defender Hilton fired the ball into the net with a volley on a free kick move.

Two minutes before full time, the home side added a fifth goal with a superb shot from distance from Cheyrou, one of the best players on the pitch.

That wasn't all, as a minute after that Cheyrou again did well to find Niang on the left wing, and he played a great cross for Brandao, who slotted the ball in at the far post to make it 6-1.

This big victory, which was perhaps a bit tough on Zurich, allowed Marseille to keep their chances of qualification alive, as they are now just one point behind leading duo Milan and Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Zurich are bottom with just three points.

Danilo Pochini, Goal.com
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