BERLIN, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Amine Gouiri struck in the second half as Olympique Marseille secured a 1-0 away victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ending the German side's perfect start to the league phase.
The visitors made the brighter start at the BayArena. Gouiri squandered an early opportunity after controlling a long pass inside the penalty area and escaping his marker, only to be denied by goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Neither side established sustained attacking pressure as the first half progressed, with Leverkusen gradually gaining territory without creating clear chances.
The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 42nd minute when Miguel Gutierrez's deflected effort struck the crossbar. Jarell Quansah then fired narrowly wide before halftime.
Leverkusen resumed with greater attacking intent, but Patrik Schick sent an effort well over the bar in the 54th minute.
Marseille responded through Igor Paixao, whose long-range attempt narrowly missed the target, before Flekken again denied Gouiri. Geoffrey Kondogbia subsequently fired just wide from distance.
The decisive moment arrived in the 77th minute when Leverkusen lost possession near the halfway line.
Gouiri advanced into space, cut inside Edmond Tapsoba and curled a precise shot into the far corner beyond Flekken.
Leverkusen nearly equalized immediately, but Tapsoba headed narrowly wide from a corner. The hosts continued to press through several set pieces but could not find an equalizer.
The defeat left Leverkusen seventh with nine points, while Marseille climbed to 31st with three points after recording its first victory.
Elsewhere, Benfica maintained its position at the top of the standings with a 3-1 victory over Lech Poznan, extending its perfect record to four matches. Bournemouth remained second after beating Sparta Prague 3-1, while third-placed Ferencvaros defeated AC Milan 2-0.
Union Saint-Gilloise moved into fourth following a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo, while Juventus climbed to fifth after beating AZ Alkmaar 2-1.
Anderlecht beat Salzburg 2-0, GNK Dinamo won 2-0 at Sunderland and NEC Nijmegen defeated Omonia 3-1.
Celtic edged Besiktas 3-2, Celje won 3-2 at Sturm Graz and Viktoria Plzen secured a 1-0 victory at Lillestrom.
Levski Sofia beat Jagiellonia 1-0, OFI Crete defeated Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-0 and Torreense overcame Ararat-Armenia 3-2. Real Sociedad and Lyon drew 1-1, as did Crystal Palace and Hoffenheim. ■
