BERLIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Leipzig claimed a 1-0 first-leg win at home, beating Olympique de Marseille after a Timo Werner goal in UEFA Europa League quarterfinal action on Thursday.
European debutants Leipzig ensured a vital victory, as Timo Werner's goal was enough to beat Marseille.
The French visitors assumed control from the kick off and came to their first chance with nine minutes played when Kostas Mitroglou tested Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi from a sharp angle.
Leipzig needed some time to gain a foothold in the match as the “Bulls” worked out their first chance 29 minutes into the game as Emil Forsberg's free kick narrowly missed the target.
Marseille remained dangerous and rattled the woodwork after Bouna Sarr unleashed a shot from inside the box. The visitors created another chance just moments later but Gulacsi was on guard to deny Lucas Ocampos.
Despite more goal scoring opportunities it was the hosts who broke the deadlock against the run of play as Timo Werner finished off a counter attack after beating Marseille goalkeeper Yohann Pele from inside the penalty area in the 45th minute.
After the restart, Marseille continued on the front foot as Ocampos kept Gulacsi busy before Dimitri Payet pulled his shot wide.
Marseille controlled the proceedings on the pitch whereas Leipzig focused on fast break. Timo Werner remained a threat but Luiz Gustavo blocked a promising effort in the 77th minute.
Olympique de Marseille dominated but were unable to score an important away goal.
“Everything is still possible. We will try everything in the second leg to progress into the next round,” Marseille’s Luiz Gustavo said.
“We didn’t play too bad and take a good result to Marseille. In the second half we had to pay tribute to our high tempo,” Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhuettl said.
