Heinze full of beans as he gives Marseille hope

AFP - 21 October 2009 23:10

Olympique Marseille´s Gabriel Heinze reacts after his team´s first goal against FC Zurich during their UEFA Champions League football match in Zurich. Marseille won 1-0.

ZURICH (AFP) - Gabriel Heinze delivered Marseille's first points of this Champions League campaign, the Argentine lifting the French side to a 1-0 win at FC Zurich on Wednesday.

Heinze's second half contribution gave Didier Deschamps' team an outside shot of progressing to the knockout stages, the win lifting them up into contention at least for a ticket out of Group C and into the Europa League.

After defeats to AC Milan and Real Madrid Heinze could not have picked a better time to score with Marseille breaking down the Zurich defence in the 69th minute.

It was his Argentine compatriot Lucho's cross which found the former Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United defender unmarked at the far post with his sharply angled shot zipping past Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni and into the far corner.

In truth Marseille should have gone into the break in front.

On 42 minutes Brazilian back Hilton, one of four changes from the side beaten 3-0 by Real Madrid, headed over.

Then his compatriot Brandao, in for veteran Spaniard Fernando Morientes, was foiled by a point blank reflex save by Leoni.

Zurich had gone into this fixture lying second in the table after their shock win over AC Milan, but this reality check has left them facing a a dogfight with Marseille with three group games remaining.

The only blip on an otherwise profitable night's work for Marseille was the red card for a second yellow handed out to defender Laurent Bonnart in the 90th minute.