Marseille end title drought in style

PARIS - Marseille clinched their first French league title in 18 years on Wednesday after beating Rennes 3-1.

The 1993 European Cup winners - who were stripped of their French title in 1993 because of a match-fixing scandal - hold an eight-point lead over Lille and Auxerre with just two matches remaining.

Goals by Argentinian defender Gabriel Heinze - who becomes one a rare breed to win league titles in three different countries - leading scorer and captain Mamadou Niang and record signing Lucho Gonzalez saw Marseille to the crown under the gaze of coach Didier Deschamps, a member of the last Marseille side to lift the trophy back in 1992.