Having beaten Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League tie in mid-week, Marseille have seen their chances of qualifying for next season’s competition recede after falling to a 1-0 defeat at Brest.

Victory would have taken Didier Deschamps’ side up to fifth place, three points behind third-placed Lille, who play later, but Sunday’s defeat left them seventh, six points outside the Champions League places.

It also ended a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to November 23, but OM can take some solace from the game in hand they retain on the three sides immediately above them – Toulouse, Lyon and Saint-Etienne.

Brest right-back Paul Baysse scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute, rising to meet Bruno Grougi’s right-wing corner with a glancing header that nestled inside the left-hand post.

In response, Brandao hit the post with a header from Jordan Ayew’s cross, while Brest goalkeeper Steeve Elana produced a sensational double-save to keep Marseille at bay just before the hour.

After pushing Rod Fanni’s dipping volley onto his left-hand upright, the former Marseille trainee sprang to his feet to parry Benoit Cheyrou’s follow-up effort from eight yards out.

Andre Ayew and Fanni both came close to equalising in injury time, but the Ghanaian’s header was tipped over by Elana and Fanni’s effort from the ensuing corner was cleared off the line by Eden Ben Basat.

In the day’s other afternoon kick-off, Toulouse won 2-0 at home to Sochaux to leapfrog OM into sixth place and leave their opponents rooted to the foot of the table, albeit only three points from safety.

Defending champions Lille will bid to close to within five points of new leaders Montpellier when they visit Rennes in Sunday’s late game.

On Saturday, a 94th-minute equaliser by Guillaume Hoarau earned PSG a stunning 4-4 draw at Lyon after an extraordinary game at Stade Gerland.

Hoarau had given PSG a 21st-minute lead but the hosts rallied to lead 3-1 and then 4-2, only for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to storm back and rescue a point deep into added time when Hoarau headed home Mathieu Bodmer’s volleyed pass.

The draw was not enough to keep PSG top, however, as Montpellier moved ahead of them courtesy of a 1-0 win at home to Bordeaux, with John Utaka the scorer.