BEIRUT: Marseille and Basel both pulled off late winners in their Champions League second round first legs Wednesday, beating 2010 finalists Inter Milan and Bayern Munich respectively 1-0.

Inter Milan are a very different side to the one that would have sent shivers down the spine of Marseille manager Didier Deschamps when the second-round draw was made in December.

Back then Claudio Ranieiri had picked up the pieces of the short-lived Gasperini-era and the team were playing with consistency and renewed confidence. Going into the Champions League second-round draw, Inter Milan had won three straight games without conceding a goal.

Three months and Inter Milan are still consistent. Just the wrong kind of consistent. Inter Milan haven’t won in five games, losing the last three 3-0, 1-0 and 4-0, with two of the results coming against relegation threatened clubs.

Going into the game however Deschamps’ team had drawn their previous three matches and the first half betrayed all the hallmarks of two teams struggling for form.

Chances were few and far between with only one opportunity managing to raise the pulse. An Esteban Cambiasso cross in the 10th minute expertly curled around the Marseille defense falling to marksman Diego Forlan. The cross, however, jumped up before reaching Forlan who could only shin the ball at goal, forcing a smart save from Steve Mandanda.

The home side had the greater initiative and were clearly the team with more confidence going into the game but Inter Milan’s deep defensive line, as well as hard-bitten, warhorse midfielders Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, denied Marseille any chance of playing a defense splitting pass. Mathieu Valbuena buzzed around the midfield like a bee but the French international suffered the same fate as his teammates – reaching the Inter Milan line of defense before running out of ideas as the Italians squeezed the space and invariably won the ball back.

Inter Milan relied on a counterattack but sadly for them, their attackers have the cumulative speed of a glacier and Forlan is desperately low on form having not scored since September. Wesley Sneijder was unable to be his usual controlling self and Mauro Zarate did what he usually does – very little.

Marseille continued to press in the second half, again coming up against a blue and black wall. It was no surprise that Marseille’s eventual breakthrough came from a set piece, Andre Ayew heading in a corner with the final touch of the game.

In Basel, Valentin Stocker struck in the 86th minute to give the home side a surprise 1-0 win over 2010 finalists Bayern Munich.