Thomasson on target as Renne beat Marseille to go top of Ligue 1

Sept 11 - A second-half goal from Adrien Thomasson gave Rennes a 1-0 home win over Olympique de Marseille that lifted them to the top of the Ligue 1 table as the visitors slumped to their third defeat in a row.

After a scoreless first half in which neither side created much of note, Thomasson broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when he guided home substitute Mousa Tamari's header back across the face of goal to net his first since signing for the club in May following the expiration of his contract at Lens.

The 32-year-old midfielder could have doubled his side's advantage 20 minutes later, but his effort smacked off the crossbar and bounced away to safety, much to the relief of the Marseille defence.

The visitors endured a miserable visit to Brittany as their misfiring start to the league season showed no signs of letting up. An opening-day 4-0 thrashing of Strasbourg has been followed by a 2-0 defeat at Monaco and a 3-2 loss to Paris FC a week ago.

Rennes provisionally moved to the top of the standings with 10 points from four games, a point ahead of Monaco, who travel to Strasbourg on Saturday.

Currently 13th with two points from their opening three games, champions Paris St Germain are away to Brest on Sunday, and a win there will move them past Marseille, who are 11th on three points. REUTERS