Marseille lose first Ligue 1 game of Beye era

Brest clinched a 2-0 victory at home with two powerful headers from Ludovic Ajorque during the opening half, giving Marseille a defeat to start the Beye era in Ligue 1 on Friday.

Habib Beye, a former captain at Marseille, stepped in as manager replacing Roberto de Zerbi only on Wednesday at one of Frances clubs known for its intense supporter base.

After travelling roughly 1276 kilometres (800 miles) from the Mediterranean shoreline to the Atlantic edge of Brittany in the west, Marseille held the advantage in ball control and passing. Yet this fourth straight match without success hampers their bid for a European place.

Ajorque, the 6ft 5in (1.96m) striker for Brest, scored first with an impressive header at the 10-minute mark and followed it up shortly before the 30th minute.

Mason Greenwood emerged as Marseilles top player, but his penalty earned in the 81st minute saw Brest goalkeeper Gregoire Coudert guess correctly and block the shot.

Marseille stay in fourth spot in Ligue 1 with 40 points, five behind Lyon in third, which is the final direct entry to the Champions League among the top three.

Lyon face Strasbourg on Sunday amid a sequence of 13 wins in a row, seven coming in Ligue 1.

Lens at the top have taken victory in their previous 10 Ligue 1 matches on home soil, and success over Monaco on Saturday would create a fresh club mark of 11.

Paris Saint-Germain, trailing Lens by one point in second, welcome last-placed Metz for the late kick-off on Saturday.