Roundup: PSG shocked at Bastia, taken over by St-Etienne in Ligue 1
Xinhua, January 11, 2015 Adjust font size:
Paris Saint-Germain resumed their defending campaign with a humiliating 4-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Bastia, while Saint-Etienne took over the third place temporarily with a 2-1 win at Reims in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Laurent Blanc's side went into the game knowing a two-goal victory would see them leapfrog Lyon and Marseille to the top spot for the first time this season, as Marseille lost 2-1 to Montpellier on Friday and Lyon play Toulouse on Sunday.
The French champions, however, let slip a two-goal lead established after just 20 minutes to lose 4-2 eventually.
PSG stamped their authority on the game in the 10th minute when Lucas Moura cleverly lifted the ball over Alphonse Areola after being played in behind the home defence by Yohan Cabaye.
Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 as Adrien Rabiot slotted beyond Areola after Javier Pastore and Blaise Matuidi combined to fashion space for him inside the area.
However, a debatable Ryad Boudebouz penalty and a soft Francois-Joseph Modesto header from a corner levelled things up before the break.
The hosts took the lead spectacularly through Julian Palmieri after 56 minutes, and the 28-year-old then wrapped things up with one minute to go to complete his double and a memorable come-from-behind victory.
It has been the second defeat of the season for Les Parisiens, who're now without a win in three games in all competitions, while Bastia, who were the joint-lowest scorers in Ligue 1 prior to the match, now came out of the bottom three for the first time since November.
Elsewhere in Saturday's play of the French top flight, Evian tied Rennes 1-1 at home, Guingamp eased past Lens 2-0, Lille nipped a 1-0 win over Caen and Nice beat Lorient 3-1. Endi