Olympique Marseille made light work of German champions Borussia Dortmund, easily beating the visitors 3-0 at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday to head to the top of Champions League Group F.
The hosts took the lead midway through the first half after a defensive error allowed Andre Ayew to calmly slot past the helpless Roman Weidenfeller. Didier Deschamps' men did not stop there, however, as they netted two more goals in the second half with Ayew completing his brace from the spot shortly after Loic Remy doubled OM's advantage.
Dortmund were first to threaten as the match commenced, with Mario Gotze forcing a brilliant double save from Steve Mandanda, who twice denied the Germany international from inside the box. But just as things were looking up for the visitors, a quick break by Marseille undid their efforts.
In the 20th minute Remy took advantage of a slip by Neven Subotic to release Ayew, who converted with a composed low finish from the left side of the box, leaving Weidenfeller a mere spectator as the ball crept into the right corner.
The goal gave the hosts some much-needed confidence as they started to press hard for a second. However, it was Dortmund who nearly equalised just before the half-hour mark as Mandanda pulled off a great reflex save to block a header by captain Sebastian Kehl, who could only watch as Mats Hummels narrowly placed a simple volley over the bar.
Still, Marseille were on the rise and nearly made it two in the 36th minute, when yet another swift counterattack saw Ayew released in a one-on-one situation with Weidenfeller, but the goalkeeper prevailed on this occasion, making a good save.
The second half saw Dortmund pick up their game and many of their fans were wondering how Gotze did not level the proceedings as the youngster twice failed to slip the ball past Mandanda, who was having an inspirational game.
Things went from bad to worse for the German champions as an uncharacteristic mistake by Hummels in the 63rd minute allowed Remy to race on goal and slot the ball in the right corner, under no pressure whatsoever.
The visitors received yet another sucker punch six minutes later, when the referee awarded a rather soft penalty for a foul by Kehl on Remy. Ayew converted with ease, putting the cherry on the cake and effectively ending the game as a contest.
Dortmund tried to fight back in the remaining minutes, but Marseille showed class and kept their nerve, preserving the result until the final whistle.
The only black spot on the hosts' performance was substitute Jordan Ayew's silly sending off as he picked up two yellow cards in 10 minutes and had to be dragged away from the pitch just before the final whistle.
Following tonight's result, Olympique Marseille top Group F with six points, while Dortmund are third with just one. The French outfit's next game in the Champions League is at home against Arsenal in three weeks, while BVB visit Olympiakos on the same day.
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