Soccer-Troubled Marseille secure Ligue 1 safety with Angers win

PARIS, May 1 (Reuters) - Nine-times French Ligue 1 champions Olympique Marseille secured their top-flight status with a 1-0 victory at Angers on Sunday. Marseille, the only French side to win the Champions League after lifting the trophy in 1993, had previously gone 11 league games without a win, slipping as low as 16th in the standings with three matches to play. "It's a relief, it's the minimum we can do for the club and for the supporters," midfielder Lassana Diarra said. "The club deserves better than this season." Michy Batshuayi's 24th-minute strike was enough to see off Angers, taking Marseille up to 13th, eight points clear of 18th-placed Stade de Reims. Marseille sustained a title challenge before an end-of-season slump last term, ending the campaign in fourth and missing out on Champions League qualification by two points. Coach Marcelo Bielsa stepped down in the hours after their opening-day defeat by Caen this season and his replacement Michel lasted only until April when he was suspended following a poor run of form. Assistant coach and former player Franck Passi took the reins until the season's end and led Marseille to the French Cup final in which they will play champions Paris St Germain on May 21. "It's been a very difficult and a very long season," captain Steve Mandanda told reporters. "At least now we can begin to prepare well for the final." Owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus put the club up for sale in April and although their Ligue 1 status has been secured, Marseille's long-term future remains uncertain. (Reporting by Ed Dove, editing by Ed Osmond)