Miserable Marseille match unwanted Champions League record

The French club have now lost 12 consecutive matches in the competition

CANBERRA:

Marseille matched the longest losing streak in UEFA Champions League history with their 3-0 defeat away to Porto in Portugal on Tuesday.

The French club, who won the inaugural edition of the Champions League in 1993, have now lost 12 consecutive matches in the competition to equal the mark set by Belgian side Anderlecht between 2003 and 2005.

Moussa Marega gave Porto an early lead behind closed doors at the Estadio do Dragao before Dimitri Payet blazed a penalty over for Marseille.

He was made to pay as Sergio Oliveira scored from the spot to make it 2-0 for Porto before the half-hour mark and the Colombian Luis Diaz sealed the win for the home side with a fabulous third in the second half.

Marseille, who are coached by the former Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas, are still without a point after three games in Group C, having also lost away to Olympiakos (1-0) and at home to Manchester City (3-0).

"To be shit in the Champions League you need to at least be in it," said Villas-Boas, who led OM to second place in Ligue 1 last season.

"We are in it and we are doing shit."

Marseille's current run started when they lost their last three matches in the 2011/12 competition, although they did make it to the quarter-finals in that campaign.

Then they lost all six group games in the 2013/14 season before returning to Europe's elite club competition this season after a seven-year absence.