PARIS (AP) Ghana winger Andre Ayew ended his goal drought in style with a hat trick as Marseille beat last-place Ajaccio 3-1 in the French league on Friday.
Ayew was sidelined after picking up a knee injury with Ghana in November and had failed to score in eight gamessince returning in February.
Marseille had lost three and drawn two of the past five league games to drop off the pace in the race for a Champions League place next season. The win moves Marseille provisionally level in fifth place with Lyon, ahead of Lyon's trip to Valenciennes on Sunday.
Marseille's unhappy fans jeered the players when they came onto the pitch and the atmosphere had not improved even after Ayew opened the scoring in the fourth minute, running on to center half Lucas Mendes' long ball down the left and lifting the ball neatly over Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
He doubled Marseille's lead in the 60th when he headed in Dimitri Payet's cross and, after striker Gadji Tallo had pulled one back moments later, sealed the win when he slid in to poke home a cross from the right.
Paris Saint-Germain has a huge 13-point lead over second-place Monaco and hosts Reims on Saturday, without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He faces several weeks out with a thigh injury.
