Champions League Group F: Marseille 1 Chelsea 0

A late Brandao strike was enough to give Marseille an upset 1-0 victory over Chelsea and book their stage in the Round of 16.

Despite Chelsea having already qualified and the fact they could not be removed from the top of Group F, boss Carlo Ancelotti named a near full-strength squad for the Champions League clash.

The Italian appeared desperate to arrest a form slump that had seen them win just two of their last seven matches in all competitions, but the likes of John Terry, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba could do little to stop rampant French side clearly up for the occasion.

The hosts started superbly and were inches away from the lead when Mathieu Valbuena’s shot from 25 yards struck the bar, with Petr Cech well beaten in the Chelsea goal.

Diminutive France midfielder Valbuena was involved again in the early stages when his header just went wide, while Brandao turned and shot in the area – only to see his shot go the same way.

Marseille thought they had taken a first-half lead, but Argentine Gabriel Heinze’s header from Benoit Cheyrou’s free-kick was cancelled out after the linesman ruled the former Manchester United defender was offside.

It was a lucky break for Chelsea, who were struggling to create clear-cut chances. But Ancelotti’s side should have had at least one penalty.

Former Charlton centre-back Souleymane Diawara clearly fouled Florent Malouda with the Chelsea player sent flying in the area.

A penalty was awarded but then disallowed, while Vladislav Bezborodov again turned down appeals from the visitors after Salomon Kalou was brought down just in front of the extra assistant referee, located behind the goals for European fixtures.

It frustrated Chelsea, who were not solid enough in all-round play to score.

Didier Drogba – a former Marseille favourite – was brought off to deafening applause on the hour-mark and replaced by Daniel Sturridge.

But neither he or Chelsea’s other substitutes Jeffrey Bruma and Patrick van Aanholt made a difference as Marseille pressured relentlessly for a winner.

Jose Bosingwa limped off with a hamstring injury with 11 minutes remaining, giving Ancelotti another headache ahead of upcoming English Premier League clashes with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.

Two minutes after Bosingwa’s departure, a re-shuffled Chelsea defence failed to cope with an unlucky deflection that summed up their last month.

Taye Taiwo beat Paulo Ferreira neatly, before seeing his shot deflect off Ramires.

Bruma and Branislav Ivanovic were immediately wrong-footed by the deflection, which rolled perfectly into the path of Brandao.

The Brazilian striker seized the opportunity, with his close-range finish finding the back of the net – much to the joy of a noisy home crowd.

The result confirmed Marseille’s spot in the Round of 16, while it also added more pressure – as if it was needed – on the under-fire Ancelotti and Chelsea.