Marseille, Gerets: Brandao gives us very much

Erik Gerets has paid tribute to Brandao after the Brazilian striker’s all-round display helped Marseille to a 3-0 victory over Saint-Etienne on Sunday to keep OM just a point behind leaders Lyon.

Bought from Shakhtar Donetsk in January as much for his never-say-die attitude as his goalscoring menace, Brandao allied both qualities at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, bustling and harrying the hosts’ defence before grabbing the all-important second goal of the night with 17 minutes remaining.

“In a match like that one, we really need him, because he works so hard,” said Gerets, who will not be able to use the cup-tied Brazilian against his former side in Marseille’s UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg encounter with Shakhtar on Thursday. “He scored once, and could have scored another.”