Ranieri on brink as Marseille stun Inter

A wild finish at the San Siro saw Marseille knock Inter Milan out of the Champions League to reach the quarter-finals and pile even more pressure on the beleaguered Claudio Ranieri.

Inter spurned glorious early chances but Diego Milito’s scrappy 75th-minute goal appeared enough to force extra-time at least.

But Brandao then scored a goal from nothing in the second minute of stoppage time, and even though there was a further twist, when Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda fouled Giampaolo Pazzini, earning a second yellow card and allowing the Italy international to give Inter victory on the night, boss Ranieri’s side went out on the away-goals rule.

Marseille could have killed Inter off in the 71st minute when Julio Cesar did well to get down and block Diawara’s header on the line.

The breakthrough finally came 15 minutes from time, but it was far from pretty.

Marseille failed to clear a corner, and after Walter Samuel prodded the ball back into the danger zone. Pazzini somehow failed to finish from four yards, but when the ball came back to Milito, he tucked it away from close range.

Extra-time looked a certainty, but Mandanda’s huge punt upfield fell for Brandao, in somewhat unorthodox fashion off the striker’s back, but it was enough for him to break free and rifle the ball past Cesar.

That should have been that, but Mandanda then brought down Pazzini in the area, earning a second caution and a dismissal after a yellow card for timewasting. Pazzini lashed home the penalty, but it was the last kick of the game as Inter crashed out.

Bayern Munich 7 Basle0 (Bayern Munich win 7-1 on aggregate)

Mario Gomez hit four goals as Bayern Munich swiftly eliminated the threat of a Champions League exit before humiliating Basle.

The German club, whose Allianz Arena will stage the European final in May, had been embarrassed by a 1-0 loss to Basle three weeks ago at St Jakob Park.

But they warmed up for last night with a 7-1 victory over Hoffenheim on Saturday, a match in which Gomez hit three, and the Germany striker went one better against the Swiss league leaders, profiting from the superb promptings of team-mates Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, an attacking midfield trident the envy of most coaches in this competition.

Robben netted the first goal, Muller the second, and thereafter it was the Gomez show, until Robben rounded off the scoring with nine minutes remaining.

Bayern now have a quarter-final ahead of them, while Basle last night had a long journey home.