Soccer-Marseille hammer Lille to stay in Champions League race
April 21 (Reuters) - Olympique de Marseille's Florian Thauvin and Konstantinos Mitroglou both scored twice as they hammered Lille 5-1 at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday to stay in the hunt for France's third Champions League qualification place.
The win put Marseille level on 69 points with third-placed Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Dijon 5-2 on Friday and are ahead of Marseille on goal difference.
Struggling Lille are second from bottom on 29 points, a point adrift of the safety zone.
Thauvin stole in front of his marker at the front post to open the scoring early in the first half by heading Bouna Sarr's cross home from a tight angle. On the half-hour mark he scored from the spot after Dimitri Payet was fouled in the box.
Striker Mitroglou netted a third in the 35th minute, rising high to steer Jordan Amavi's cross in at the far post, and he scored his second three minutes later with a close-range volley to put his side 4-0 up at the break.
Lille playmaker Yassine Benzia reduced the deficit by drilling a low left-foot shot into the net in the 54th minute, but winger Lucas Ocampos made it 5-1 with a powerful strike 14 minutes later. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor Editing by Toby Davis)
