AFP/Paris


Paris Saint Germain gave up a two-goal lead when Bastia stormed back to win 4-2 in Corsica yesterday as the defending champions spurned the chance to go top of Ligue 1. Laurent Blanc’s men had looked to be in total control after goals in the 10th minute from Lucas, a lovely lob, and in the 20th when the 19-year-old Tottenham-linked midfielder Adrien Rabiot pounced on the loose ball and fired it with his left foot into the bottom corner.
Ryad Boudebouz pulled one back from the spot for Bastia on the half-hour after Gregory Van der Wiel was harshly judged to have handled.
And just on the stroke of half-time David Luiz was caught napping as Francois Modesto headed home a corner. Bastia took the lead with a thunderbolt in every sense of the word, as defender Julien Palmieri latched on to a poorly cleared corner in the 56th minute and unleashed a jaw-dropping half-volley.
The pulsating finale ended when Palmieri himself ran clear of the defence to make it 4-2 in the 89th minute for a fully deserved win that ended eight straight Ligue 1 defeats for Bastia to the capital side.
Ahead of the match a one minute silence was observed in the wake of the Islamist attacks that left 17 people dead this week. Some local fans unfurled a banner reading ‘Qatar finances PSG and terrorism’.
The shock loss left PSG in third, on 38 points, with Bastia two points above the relegation zone. Ligue 1 leaders Marseille, on 41 points, also lost on Friday when they  went down 2-1 at Montpellier.  
Kevin Berigaud and Paul Lasne scored for the hosts either side of the interval with Bilel Omrani gave Marseille hope late on.
Lyon are on 39 points, one ahead of PSG. Propelled by 17-goal top scorer Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon will now be licking their lips as they target three points at home to Toulouse today that would see them go a point clear at the top.  
Elsewhere fourth-placed Saint-Etienne will attempt to extend a 10-game unbeaten run in the league as they face Reims away. Fifth plays sixth at the Stade Louis II today night when Monaco entertain Bordeaux in a match which will see visiting coach Willy Sagnol return to the ground where he played between 1997 and 2000.
Monaco will be looking for revenge for a 4-1 defeat at Bordeaux back in August and, fresh from winning their last seven games, should be an entirely different proposition this time.

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