Marseille ruins Drogba's trip home
Brazilian striker Brandao's second-half goal gave Marseille a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending the English club's bid to become only the fifth team to win all six matches in the group stage.
Brandao struck the winner in the 81st minute by wrong-footing goalkeeper Petr Cech from close range after collecting a deflected shot from defender Taye Taiwo inside the area.
Both teams has already qualified for the knockout phase before the game. Chelsea finished first in Group F with 15 points, three more than Marseille.
Chelsea had been hoping to join AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Spartak Moscow and Barcelona as the only teams to have maintained a perfect record in the group stage of the tournament. Instead, the club now has only one win in its last six games in all competitions.
"There was nothing at stake but it was important to win this game," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "They were not at full strength but they fielded a high-level team. It's good for our confidence."
Didier Drogba, who has not scored a goal from open play for two months and has hit only two in his last 11 games, failed to make any impact against his former team.
Playing his first match at Stade Velodrome since leaving the club for Chelsea in 2004, Drogba received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Daniel Sturridge in the 62nd minute.
"It warmed my heart, it was great to play again here," said Drogba, who scored 18 league goals and another 11 in Europe in his only season for Marseille. "It pleased me to receive such a welcome."
Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka were rested by Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti, while Marseille and France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac didn't play because of a groin injury.
Chelsea looked sluggish in the early stages as Marseille forward Loic Remy missed a volley from Mathieu Valbuena's diverted shot.
Chelsea defenders then failed to clear Valbuena's cross, and midfielder Benoit Cheyrou sent a left-foot volley just wide in the eighth minute.
Valbuena twice went close three minutes later when he unleashed a 25-meter strike that hit the crossbar, before missing a diving header.
Referee Vladislav Bezborodov awarded a penalty to Chelsea for a foul from Souleymane Diawara on Florent Malouda in the 16th minute, but he then reversed his decision to give the visitors a corner.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien fired a shot wide in the 21st, before Malouda picked out Salomon Kalou in the box only for the Ivory Coast forward to lose the ball after gliding between two defenders.
Chelsea's best first-half chance came in the 34th minute after Jose Bosingwa sped down the right flank and served up a perfect cross for Drogba, whose shot was blocked by Taiwo.
Marseille defender Gabriel Heinze then beat goalkeeper Petr Cech with a glanced header from Cheyrou's free kick but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Kalou had another chance two minutes before the interval, sending his left-footed shot from a tight angle over the bar.
Marseille continued its dominance in the second half but lacked a cutting edge - until Brandao scored only his second goal of the season to land another blow to Chelsea's morale.