Manchester United and Marseille shared the spoils, but no goals, as the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie ended in a drab and forgettable 0-0 draw here on Wednesday.
With Marseille fearful of conceding an away goal and United rusty in attack the game was reduced to a war of attrition in which ponderous passing and stout defending were the order of the day.
The game’s best chance saw Darren Fletcher draw a smart save from Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda with a low drive and it was one of few highlights on a night when the teams succeeded only in cancelling each other out.
In the absence of a knockout blow in the first leg, a goal for Marseille in the return match on March 15 will put them in a commanding position to reach the last eight for the first time since they won the tournament in 1993.
Marseille coach Didier Deschamps had spoken before the match about the importance of keeping a clean sheet and with his side starting the game in cautious fashion, United were allowed to take the initiative.
The visitors appeared keen to test former United player Gabriel Heinze’s ageing legs in the Marseille left-back position and Nani was regularly sought out with searching passes into the space behind the Argentine.
Fletcher’s chance arrived in the eighth minute as he tested Mandanda with a skidding effort from the edge of the box, while Souleymane Diawara showed alertness to block from Wayne Rooney.
The good positions that Marseille did manage to adopt were squandered due to a reluctance to shoot at goal, testament perhaps to the absence through injury of in-form striker Andre-Pierre Gignac.
A miscued overhead kick by Brandao was all they could muster in the first 45 minutes, while United’s own momentum faded after a bright start.
The hosts enjoyed a more promising spell early in the second period, with Edwin van der Sar called into action by a Brandao header before Andre Ayew thrashed a half-volley across goal and wide from the left-hand side.
The hosts’ flurry of attacking endeavour roused the notoriously demanding Stade Velodrome crowd but United — who conceded just one goal in the group phase — defended calmly and were not unduly troubled.
A moment of inattention from Rod Fanni gave Dimitar Berbatov a sight of goal at the other end but Diawara intervened smartly to get in the way of the Bulgarian’s shot.
Deschamps introduced Mathieu Valbuena, freshly recovered from a knee injury, with 11 minutes to play but the France winger’s first touch spoke of weeks on the sidelines as he tamely let the ball roll out of play.
Mandanda saved at Nani’s feet to keep the Premier League leaders at bay before the fans’ patience was finally rewarded by the final whistle.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
![]() |
impresor2024
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Benesov vs Velke Hamry 1 minute ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Last Team to Score tip on Viktoria Berlin vs BFC Dynamo 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Draw No Bet tip on Metz W vs US Orléans W 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Estrella vs Santa Úrsula 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a 1X2 tip on Talent Warszawa vs Mszczonowianka Mszczonów 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Odd / Even tip on Oskar Przysucha vs Błonianka Błonie 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Paderborn vs Elversberg 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Odd / Even tip on Preußen Münster vs Darmstadt 98 13 minutes ago |
![]() |
drop.punt
posts a Over / Under tip on Adelaide United || vs West Torrens Birkalla 14 minutes ago |
![]() |
impresor2024
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Chrudim vs Líšeň 17 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
Soccer Punter has helped me become better at forecasting games.
As a sport influencer/ myself forecasting winning games is critical to keeping followers happy and this platform has helped me achieve that.
thanks Soccer Punter
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2025 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: