Toifilou Maoulida scored the only goal as Bastia beat Ajaccio in a fiery Corsican derby but it was the dismissals of five players, four in the final minute, which will create the headlines. Maoulida struck early in the second half with Ajaccio’s hopes of a comeback not helped by a second yellow card for Mathieu Chalme 10 minutes from time.
However, the match was overshadowed by events in the dying moments when Dennis Oliech’s dismissal for the visitors sparked a brawl which resulted in subsequent red cards for team-mate Benjamin Andre and Bastia duo Florian Thauvin and Jerome Rothen. The win saw Bastia end a run of six Ligue 1 matches without a win and they move six points clear of the drop zone, as well as a point and a place above Ajaccio.