AC Milan vs Marseille 1-1 Score Result Goals 25/11/2009 Champions League - Group C

Borriello's opener was worthy of the occasion, and though it arrived after just ten minutes it reflected the hosts' early dominance. Yet if the Rossoneri looked strong going forward

AC Milan vs Marseille 1-1 Score Result Goals 25/11/2009 Champions League

AC Milan vs Marseille Fulltime Score - AC Milan 1 Marseille 1 - Group C will go down to the wire after AC Milan and Olympique de Marseille shared a hard-fought draw at San Siro. In an open match Marco Borriello's fine early strike was cancelled out by Lucho and despite chances at either end late on, nothing could separate these two former European champions.

Tough task
Borriello's opener was worthy of the occasion, and though it arrived after just ten minutes it reflected the hosts' early dominance. Yet if the Rossoneri looked strong going forward, they were unpicked all too easily at the back as OM levelled inside six minutes with a goal as much a credit to Mamadou Niang's pace and power as it was Lucho's cool finish. The draw leaves Milan – who will be without the suspended Gianluca Zambrotta after a yellow card here – needing a point at FC Zürich in a fortnight to guarantee a place in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round; OM must beat Real Madrid CF at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Vibrant start
Milan began confidently, exuding all the confidence of a team unbeaten in nine matches. Andrea Pirlo sprayed passes left and right, and the attacking quartet in Leonardo's exciting 4-2-1-3 formation linked up well. Three combined in the sixth minute as Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf and Borriello led a sweeping move which brought Gianluca Zambrotta bursting into the area. Steve Mandanda got down well to save and Gabriel Heinze blocked Borriello's follow-up, but the OM pair could do nothing soon after when Borriello cut in from the right, flummoxed the defender with a clever sleight of foot and drove in low.

Sucker punch
Milan's advantage was fleeting. Mamadou Niang turned Massimo Oddo inside out with a forceful run down the left, and though the forward's centre was cut out by Dida, Lucho appeared unmarked to drive the rebound into the roof of the net. It was a sucker punch for the previously dominant hosts, and Lucho almost dazzled them again when his long-range effort just cleared the bar. As the match swung from end to end Borriello, too, could have scored a second. His control bringing down Ronaldinho's lofted pass was exquisite but so was the timing of Souleymane Diawara's tackle as the Italian international shaped to shoot.

Pato chance
Pato was next to come close as the visitors' defence allowed Thiago Silva's long punt to bounce over them. The Rossoneri No7 spotted Mandanda off his line, but his lob was slightly over-hit. If Pato was a threat throughout, compatriot Ronadinho was also full of life, enlivening the contest with some delightful tricks: nutmegging Laurent Bonnart before setting up Zambrotta; flicking a pass for Borriello to drag wide. But all that good work was almost undone when Brandão somehow struck the bar from two metres. Édouard Cissé released Niang again down the left and the cross was inviting. The finish was poor. Borriello fared no better when he headed Ronaldinho's clipped centre horribly wide, but it was Diawara who came closest, glancing a late corner against the far post.



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