Marseille sparkle to reach Champions League last 16

French champions Marseille qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League here on Tuesday with a convincing 3-0 victory over nine-time Russian champions Spartak Moscow.

Goals by French internationals Mathieu Valbuena and Loic Remy and one from Brazilian Brandao saw the 1993 champions through to the knockout stage with one match to spare.

The hosts finished the match with 10 men as Welliton was sent off in the 63rd minute for pushing over Souleymane Diawara.

While both sides can finish on the same total of points, Marseille would progress by virtue of a better head-to-head record between the two teams as they were beaten 1-0 in the reverse fixture in September.

The French side suffered a blow shortly before the match when French international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac was ruled out because of a painful hamstring he had already felt in training on Monday.

However, they shrugged off both his absence and any after-effects from a disrupted journey to Moscow on Monday with an assured display from the start.

Valbuena, who scored in France’s 2-1 friendly win over England last week, gave the hosts an early scare as his snap shot from the right side of the area drifted just wide of the far post.

The lively attacking midfielder made no mistake in the 18th minute, however, as he turned and curled a brilliant shot into the top-right corner after being picked out by veteran Argentine full-back Gabriel Heinze.

The visitors doubled their lead through a bizarre goal in the 54th minute.

Remy completely sliced an attempted half-volley from Brandao’s left-wing cross but the ball looped fortuitously over his marker’s head and the France striker pounced to ram in a low shot that hit both posts before going in.

The hosts’ chances diminished further in the 63rd minute when Welliton saw red.

The Brazilian striker collided heavily with Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda as he tried to get on the end of a cross, and when Diawara chided him with a sly knee, Welliton reacted by pushing him over.

Alerted by his linesman, referee Wolfgang Stark wielded the red card but solely in the direction of the Spartak man.

It was game over in the 68th minute as a careless pass by a Spartak defender was seized on by Andre Ayew, who found Brandao, and the former Shakhtar Donetsk forward took his chance brilliantly, rifling the ball into the far corner from the edge of the area.

Brandao could have doubled his tally shortly afterwards but his shot was brilliantly turned away for a corner by Spartak goalkeeper Andriy Dykan.