The Albany Gazette - Greenwood among scorers as Marseille cruise to four-goal victory

Greenwood rolled in from the spot on 13 minutes after Lorient's Darlin Yongwa had been sent off for giving away the penalty.

The outcome never appeared in doubt after that, and a Greenwood corner was headed in by Benjamin Pavard to make it 2-0 with just 20 minutes gone.

France 2018 World Cup-winning centre-back Pavard was making his Marseille debut, returning to Ligue 1 after almost a decade away having signed on loan from Inter Milan just before the transfer deadline.

England international midfielder Angel Gomes made it three with a superb strike from the edge of the area just after the half-hour mark, and Nayef Aguerd -- another defender making his Marseille debut -- sealed the win with a deflected shot deep in stoppage time at the end of the game.

The win is a second in four outings in Ligue 1 this season for Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille, who are provisionally three points behind leading duo Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon before they play on Sunday.

It was another miserable night for newly-promoted Lorient, who have now let in 11 goals in losing their last two matches, following a 7-1 home loss to Lille just before the recent international break.

Pavard and Aguerd were among seven new signings making their debuts for Marseille following a frenetic summer in the transfer market.

Last season's Ligue 1 runners-up begin their European campaign with a tough trip to Spain to play Xabi Alonso's Madrid on Tuesday, before hosting great rivals PSG in domestic action next weekend.

(P.Davis--TAG)