Football: Marseille off to winning start

PARIS: A Benoit Cheyrou goal 13 minutes from time handed Marseille a winning start to their French league season as they poached a 1-0 success at newly-promoted Reims. Cheyrou’s 77th-minute effort ensured that the only French side ever to land the European Cup went one better than reigning champions Montpellier and moneybags Paris Saint Germain, both held at home in their opening games – Montpellier by Toulouse and PSG by modest Lorient. “We hadn’t started a league season with a win for a long time,” said Cheyrou, whose side finished a bitterly disappointing tenth last season. “It was a tough match but we pulled it over the line. It’s encouraging. We showed a lot of spirit and hopefully we can take things from there.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2012.