Brest Beats Marseille 2-0 in Ligue 1 Opener

Brest Defeats Marseille in Ligue 1 Opener, Beye’s Reign Begins with Loss

Stade Brestois secured a 2-0 victory over Olympique de Marseille on Friday, February 20th, in the opening match of the 23rd round of Ligue 1. The win, achieved at home, was largely due to a brace from Brest forward Ludovic Ajorque.

Ajorque, a player from the Finistère region, was quick to deflect praise, emphasizing the collective spirit that propelled the team to success. He highlighted the positive mindset within the Brest squad as a key factor in their ability to overcome Marseille and set their sights on climbing higher in the Ligue 1 standings.

Habib Beye, who recently took the helm as Marseille’s coach, experienced a disappointing debut. The defeat was compounded by a missed penalty from Mason Greenwood during the match. According to reports, this loss marks a difficult start to Beye’s tenure with the club.

The match took place at Stade Francis-Le Blé in Brest, France, with an attendance of 14,482. Romain Lissorgue served as the referee.

Ajorque opened the scoring in the 10th minute, heading the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, assisted by Hugo Magnetti. He doubled Brest’s lead in the 29th minute. The score remained 2-0 through the second half, solidifying Brest’s dominance.

Possession was heavily skewed in favor of Marseille, with 68% of the ball, compared to Brest’s 32%. However, Brest proved more clinical in front of goal, managing four shots on target to Marseille’s four. Marseille had a total of 17 shot attempts, while Brest had 12.

The game saw one yellow card issued to Marseille’s Bilal Nadir in the 90+6th minute for a foul. Brest recorded three corner kicks to Marseille’s two. Brest’s goalkeeper made four saves, while Marseille’s goalkeeper made two.

As of February 20, 2026, Marseille sits in 5th place in the Ligue 1 table with 40 points from 23 games (12 wins, 4 draws, and 7 losses). Brest is currently 10th with 30 points from 23 games (8 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses). League leaders Lens have 52 points, followed by Paris Saint-Germain with 51, and Lyon with 45.

Recent transfer news indicates that Paris Saint-Germain has expressed interest in Erling Haaland, informing Manchester City of their potential willingness to acquire the player should he become available.