Arango earns Gladbach late point at Marseille

Juan Arango's added-time goal earned VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach a 2-2 draw at Olympique de Marseille which moves them into second spot in UEFA Europa League Group C.

Beaten 2-0 in Germany a fortnight ago and behind to Mike Hanke's first-half opener, Marseille's admirable resolve appeared to have altered the complexion of both the game and the section. Joey Barton drew the Ligue 1 side level in eye-catching fashion before Jordan Ayew put the hosts in front. Arango, though, had the final say to fire Gladbach ahead of Marseille on head-to-head record.

Early on, Oscar Wendt's awareness and agility to hook Loïc Rémy's header off the line was in stark contrast to the defensive laxness at the other end five minutes later. OM's Benoît Cheyrou was the guilty party, dispossessed by Arango after dithering over the simplest of clearances, and Hanke the grateful recipient of a straightforward tap-in.

Élie Baup's team were swiftly prompted into action, but Barton's flighted cross was just too high for André Ayew to direct the ball on target. Hanke was also narrowly wide when a loss of footing resulted in a miscued shot which did a disservice to the dribble which preceded it.

Just off with his first-half delivery, Barton was right on the money nine minutes after the interval. He cut out the middle man on this occasion, bending a left-sided corner over goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and directly into the far corner.

Ter Stegen's head may have been in his hands after that goal, but it was Roel Brouwers who was the subject of finger-pointing after OM's second. The Mönchengladbach captain lost possession amid a tangle of his own legs and Jordan Ayew needed no second invitation, cutting in from the left with the help of a delightful stepover before unleashing a fierce shot high into the net.

That seemed sure to be enough until Arango's poise and control on his chest created sufficient space for a crisp drive beyond Steve Mandanda three minutes into stoppage time.