Olympique de Marseille ended Stade Brestois’ run of bad form with a commanding 3-0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome, leaving Brest without a win in six consecutive Ligue 1 matches.
Marseille, eager to bounce back after winning just one of their last five outings, started brightly and pressed for an early breakthrough.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came closest in the opening exchanges, controlling a lofted pass beautifully, only for Radosław Majecki to make a last-ditch effort to push the ball wide.
Brest had a chance of their own shortly after, as Pathe Mboup found space in the box, but his near-post effort was expertly blocked by Geronimo Rulli’s legs.
Despite struggling to assert themselves offensively, the visitors’ resistance soon crumbled.
The opening goal arrived midway through the first half in unusual fashion. Angel Gomes’ 20-yard free-kick looked harmless but slipped through Majecki’s hands and trickled over the line.
Ten minutes later, Brest’s woes deepened when Kenny Lala brought down Igor Paixao in the box, allowing Mason Greenwood to calmly convert the penalty and give Marseille a 2-0 advantage at halftime.
Brest tried to respond with two substitutions after the break, but their efforts rarely threatened the Marseille defence.
Greenwood came close to scoring again, only for Majecki to tip his low shot behind. The hosts sealed the victory in the closing stages when Aubameyang finished neatly following a slick run and cross from Matt O’Riley.
With the win, Marseille climbs to the top of the Ligue 1 table, a point ahead of PSG but with a game in hand.
Brest, meanwhile, remain perilously close to the relegation zone, sitting just one point above it as other teams continue to play their matches this weekend.
