Rampant Marseille climb to second with 6-1 win

PARIS (Reuters) - Olympique de Marseille enjoyed an emphatic 6-1 win at struggling Toulouse on Friday to climb above Paris St Germain into second place in Ligue 1 as they reignited their title challenge. Marseille had not won a league game since Jan. 31 as their title push faltered but the visitors were 3-0 up in 20 minutes and 4-0 up at the break after a rampant first-half display. Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi gave them a second-minute lead with a superb long-range strike before Baptiste Aloe diverted Benjamin Mendy's shot home in the sixth minute. Toulouse's Francois Moubandje turned Andre Ayew's dangerous low cross into his own goal under pressure from Lucas Ocampos in the 20th before Batshuayi added his second with a simple finish seconds before halftime. The hosts improved after the break and pulled a goal back in the 76th when Wissam Ben Yedder's low shot beat Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. The visitors' four-goal advantage was restored two minutes later, however, when the lively Ayew slotted home from a suspiciously offside position. Andre-Pierre Gignac completed the rout in the 89th minute to compound a miserable night for Toulouse with a low strike into the corner for his 16th Ligue 1 goal of the season. "We hope this is the start of a new series for our season. But the result is misleading. They had just as many chances as us," Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa told reporters. "Individually, we were good in defence. Certain players were very strong, but despite that, Toulouse missed a number of good chances." Marseille lead third-placed PSG, who host Racing Lens on Saturday, on goal difference and trail leaders Olympique Lyonnais, who visit Montpellier HSC on Sunday, by a point. Toulouse remain 18th, two points behind FC Lorient in 17th and seven clear of the bottom two clubs Racing Lens and Metz. (Reporting By Tom Hayward, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ken Ferris)