Holders Marseille ease into last eight

Marseille began their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Coupe de la Ligue title with a 4-0 win at home over Ligue 2 side Lens on Tuesday that took them into the quarter-finals. Andre-Pierre Gignac and Jordan Ayew both claimed their first goals of the season, with Loic Remy's brace sealing a straightforward victory after he came on as a substitute in the second half. Gignac, making his first start of the season, broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a clinical half-volley from the edge of the box after Lens failed to clear a corner. Lens goalkeeper Hamid Kasraoui initially frustrated OM's attempts to stretch their lead, showing brilliant reflexes to deny Charles Kabore and Ayew either side of half-time before thwarting Gignac with a double save on the hour. He could do nothing about Marseille's second goal, however, as Ayew left an opponent for dead in midfield before clipping a precise shot into the top-left corner from just outside the area. Remy made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute, rolling the ball home after Mathieu Valbuena's cross had been flicked into his path by Ayew, before claiming his eighth goal of the season from Valbuena's pull-back in the 89th minute. The round of 16 concludes on Wednesday, when current Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain visit Dijon and Lyon travel to neighbours Saint-Etienne, three days before hosting them in the league.