Olympique de Marseille 0-1 FC TwenteMarko Arnautovic's strike earned FC Twente a first-leg victory against an off-colour Olympique de Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome.
Away hoodoo
The Austrian forward tapped in a cross from Blaise Nkufo from close range at the second attempt in the 22nd minute to end Twente's record of eight successive away defeats in UEFA competition and put them in the driving seat for qualification for the last 16.
League run
The visitors have been in superb form domestically, sitting second in the Eredivisie and unbeaten in 13 league matches, and they carried that confidence into the first half in Marseille. The initial sign of the Dutch side's potency came in the 16th minute when Kenneth Perez played in Arnautovic only for Steve Mandanda to keep out his 20-metre drive.
$5.00 OFF your order at All-Ink.com! (code:AC05)
Niang chance
At the other end, Mamadou Niang drew a fine one-handed save from Twente goalkeeper Sander Boschker with a point-blank header but that was all the home side offered before the break. Instead, the Dutch outfit forced their way in front and Mandanda tipped a header from team-mate Vitorino Hilton over the bar to save the French team from falling further behind at the interval.
Post struck
Twente sat back after the restart, allowing OM to have more of the possession, and the tide turned slightly. Bakari Koné became more influential, forcing Boschker into a near-post save before wriggling free and firing a rising shot well over the bar. But that apart, Steve McClaren's men defended relatively comfortably and came close to adding to their lead when Nkufo headed firmly against the post from close range with ten minutes remaining.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment