Marseille get going at last to move above PSV

IN Liverpool’s group, Mamadou Niang grabbed a second-half brace as Marseille got their Group D campaign up and running with a comprehensive 3-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at the Stade Velodrome.

Baky Kone grabbed the opener for the French side after 30 minutes.

The margin of victory lifted the Ligue 1 outfit above PSV into third spot and leaves them favourites to continue their European adventure in the UEFA Cup next year.

Wins at Liverpool and over Atlético Madrid in their remaining games could even open the door to something better.

But for now coach Erik Gerets will be satisfied with a dominant performance that began with Bakari Koné scoring after 30 minutes and Mamadou Niang adding gloss with two second-half efforts, with Hatem Ben Arfa involved in all three goals.

Greek side Panathinaikos picked up their first win in Group B and left Werder Bremen’s dreams of progressing in tatters after they suffered a 3-0 home defeat last night.

Greek striker Evangelos Mantzios — the scourge of Bremen with his two goals in the 2-2 draw in Athens a fortnight ago — grabbed the first on 58 minutes before midfielder Georgios Karagounis hit a wonderful volley 12 minutes later.

Bremen were sent crashing to the bottom of the group when Alexandros Tziolis hit the third from just outside the penalty area with 83 minutes gone.

Barcelona qualified for the knockout stages but Spanish international midfielder Andres Iniesta could be out for as long as six weeks after sustaining an injury to his right leg during his team’s 1-1 draw at home to Basle.

Argentine international Lionel Messi scored his fourth Champions League goal in as many games to put Barcelona ahead on 62 minutes — just 120 seconds after coming on as a substitute — but Eren Derdiyok equalised for the Swiss visitors eight minutes from time.

The draw spoilt Barca’s flawless Champions League start and ended Barca’s run of 11 successive victories in all competitions but Shakhtar Donetsk’s 1-0 defeat by Sporting Lisbon in the other group match means the Spanish giants qualify from Group C with their tally of ten points.

FC Basel, managed by former Tottenham Hotspur coach Christian Gross, had lost their first three matches so this was their first Champions League point.

Elsewhere, in Chelsea’s Group A, Bordeaux kept their hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over CFR Cluj-Napoca, their second win in as many matches

Yoan Gouffran put the French side ahead after just six minutes but Soares Dani equalised for the Romanian side just four minutes later.

The winner for Bordeaux came from Silva Wendell on 38 minutes. His free-kick was ultimately enough for victory thanks to a pair of brilliant second-half saves from Matthieu Valverde in the Bordeaux goal.