Marseille edge past Besiktas

Marseille coach Albert Emon badly needed a win and his players gave him just that courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Besiktas.

Rodriguez and Cisse sink Turkish visitors in France

On an evening when Marseille coach Albert Emon badly needed a win his players gave him just that, courtesy of a just about deserved 2-0 victory over Besiktas. In what was an uninspiring Group A UEFA Champions League clash, Julien Rodriguez opened the scoring at the Stade Velodrome as he punished some miserable goalkeeping from Hakan Arikan in the 78th minute. Marseille's win was sealed in injury time when former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse broke to put the gloss on a not so polished display. The first period was one which on occasion hinted at entertainment but was for the most part turgid and tense. Marseille were marginally the better of the two sides as Besiktas contented themselves by sitting in deep defensive banks, as the home team's lack of invention in the final third gave the visitors an altogether too easy evening. The early signs were promising as Cisse and in particular the willing Mamadou Niang looked to stretch their opponents, with each striker conjuring a solitary chance apiece. Cisse saw his snap-shot after a scramble lose its sting by a deflection that allowed Arikan to collect in Besiktas' goal, before Niang stooped to head powerfully but just over the top.

Surly scowl

Thereafter and the half was best surmised by Cisse's surly scowl every time he failed to receive the desired pass; he should have been thankful he was playing rather than watching. What followed after the half-time interval was similar to what had preceded it as Marseille played the better of the football but struggled to create genuine chances. The exciting Karim Ziani looked the man most likely and it was from his surging run that Arikan was forced into his first noticeable save of the evening, repelling a well-struck angled drive. Niang thumped the ball just wide of Arikan's near post as Marseille began to find some rhythm, before the game became tetchy and ill-tempered in slumping to previous lows. When the goal arrived, somewhat predictably, it was due to an error as Arikan was left embarrassed by a left-wing Marseille corner that he allowed to drift over his head, despite being unchallenged. After the ball struck the post, it was the defender Rodriguez who responded quickest to stab home to the delight of a relieved Emon. Besiktas' response was limited to just one chance of genuine note, as Serdar Ozcan fired wide of Steve Mandanda's far post when played in on the right. In injury time Cisse's scowl turned to a smile as he bundled the ball past his marker Lamine Diatta before prodding a near-post finish past Arikan.

Marseille	Team Statistics	Besiktas
2	Goals	0
0	1st Half Goals	0
5	Shots on Target	1
7	Shots off Target	3
4	Blocked Shots	1
8	Corners	2
18	Fouls	14
5	Offsides	3
5	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
81.7	Passing Success	76.1
19	Tackles	29
73.7	Tackles Success	75.9
49.5	Possession	50.5
59.2	Territorial Advantage	40.8