Andre Ayew's late goal saw Marseille defeat Inter Milan 1-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League tie on Wednesday.

The Ghanaian's glancing header in stoppage time was enough to give the Ligue 1 outfit the advantage heading into the second leg, which will be held in Milan on March 13.

Marseille started well and enjoyed plenty of early possession, with Benoit Cheyrou going close in the early stages.

Cheyrou's strike from distance was deflected just wide while Cesar Azpilicueta fired over from long range.

Inter had chances of their own with Diego Forlan and Mauro Zarate forcing smart saves from Marseille shot-stopper Steve Mandanda.

A threatening free-kick from Mathieu Valbuena could have easily been turned in, only for Brandao and Souleymane Diawara to get in each other's way, while Esteban Cambiasso – who was Inter's most threatening player – had a goal-bound strike blocked by Diawara.

Inter sat back more in the second half as they tried to soak up Marseille's pressure and head back to the San Siro on level terms.

Didier Deschamps' side once again had lots of the ball but they were frustrated by their lack of cutting edge in attack.

The match seemed headed for a goalless stalemate but Ayew looked threatening late on and forced a series of saves from Inter's Julio Cesar.

One of those stops led to a corner from which the all-important goal was finally scored.

Valbuena's handy ball into the box was met by Ayew and he wheeled off in celebration as his header snuck past Cesar.

The Stade Velodrome crowd exploded in delight with the late goal and Inter were left to regret their defensive tactics.

The defeat will put even more pressure on the club's manager, Claudio Ranieri, with the Serie A giants now winless in their last seven matches.