Brandao bullet sees Marseille match Bordeaux, Nancy

Brazilian striker Brandao made sure Marseille kept pace with their fellow French league title contenders with the game’s only goal in an entertaining 1-0 win over Lille Sunday.

Brandao failed to get on the scoresheet when Marseille opened their campaign with a 2-0 away win at Grenoble last week.

But the big Brazilian made no mistake when he rose superbly in the 11th minute to smash a header past Ludovic Butelle in the Lille goal from Hatem Ben Arfa’s perfectly-delivered corner.

Marseille are now third in the league behind Nancy and Bordeaux, the trio alone in winning both their games so far.

By virtue of Didier Deschamps arriving as coach, and fresh investment in the squad, Marseille are being tipped to end their 17-year wait for the French league crown this season.

In this match, being played in Montpellier after the Stade Velodrome was closed following a fatal accident at a concert, Marseille certainly put their ambitions on display.

The hosts dominated the first half, forcing Lille to rethink their approach at the half-time break.

However, while Marseille had an unremarkable start to the second half Rudy Garcia’s men had little in response and became increasingly frustrated with the hosts’ superior play.

Just after the hour mark Mathieu Debuchy got his head to a Yohan Cabaye free kick and that was flicked on by Adil Rami but that effort sailed past the upright of Marseille ‘keeper Steve Mandanda.

A minute later Debuchy got his marching orders when he was cautioned a second time, rather harshly, for a foul on the edge of the Lille area.

Lille coach Garcia meanwhile refused to buckle, replacing Tulio De Melo with another striker in Gervinho.

But Bruno Cheyrou then almost doubled Marseille’s lead when his drive, after a good chest-down by Brandao, shaved the left upright of Butelle, and then Marseille defender Taiwo put pressure on the visitors’ keeper with a long-range drive.

Deschamps replaced Brandao with Spaniard Fernando Morientes for the remaining 12 minutes, during which 10-man Lille defiantly pegged Marseille back while remaining resolute in defence.

In the 84th minute second-half substitute Eden Hazard almost delivered for Lille when he capped a fine individual run down the left with a powerful shot which forced Mandanda to parry.

Another second half substitute, Bakary Kone, then saw his well-driven left-foot shot parried by Butelle on the stroke of full time.

In the fourth minute of injury time Lille won a free kick 30 yards out, but Hazard could only fire it into the wall.

When he lobbed the reboud back into the Marseille area the hosts defence were at sixes and sevens, but two of the Lille players who tried to scramble the loose ball into the net looked even worse off as Mandanda fell to the floor to smother the ball.

On Saturday Marouane Chamakh brushed aside recent speculation surrounding his future at Bordeaux to head two goals which helped keep the French champions near the top of the league in a 3-2 away win at Sochaux.

Also Saturday Paris Saint Germain made amends for their opening draw last weekend with a 3-1 hammering of Le Mans.

Lyon, who won the title seven years in a row until Bordeaux loosened their grip last season, also claimed their first win of the season with Bafi Gomis’s great looping header enough to seal the points over Valenciennes.

Nancy provided one of the most stunning results of the day, a 4-0 hammering of beaten 2004 Champions League finalists Monaco making sure they go top thanks to a superior goal difference over Bordeaux.