Bastia 2 - 0 Stade Rennais FC - Bastia claim much-needed victory

Bastia scored late in each half to beat 10-man Rennes 2-0 and end a three-match losing run in Ligue 1.

Ryad Boudebouz brilliantly opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time and Yannick Cahuzac clinched the points in the 81st minute with his first Ligue 1 goal. Rennes had earlier lost Fallou Diagne to a straight red card in the 26th minute.

The result lifted Bastia above Lens in the table, though they remain in the relegation zone. Rennes are sixth, four points outside the European places.

It was also their first win since appointing Ghislain Printant as their permanent manager, though he was in interim charge for last month's win over Montpellier and draw with Lyon.

Rennes started brightly and the in-form Paul-Georges Ntep was played in by Sylvain Armand and went past Drissa Diakite but shot wide with his right foot.

But they were up against it from the moment Diagne went in with his studs raised on Guillaume Gillet and was instantly dismissed.

Gillet sought to inflict a punishment of his own, first by setting up Junior Tallo and then with an 18-yard effort of his own, but on both occasions Benoit Costil made excellent saves in the Rennes goal.

Costil was powerless, though, when Boudebouz cut in onto his left foot and curled a magnificent 25-yard shot into the top corner.

Rennes could have equalised just after the hour mark when Gillet's poor clearance fell to Ntep, but he again fired wide.

Costil again kept Rennes in the game with a good save with his feet to deny Francois Kamano.

But Bastia made it 2-0 as the game entered its final 10 minutes, Kamano breaking and feeding captain Cahuzac who fired clinically past Costil to score his first ever Ligue 1 goal and only his third for the club in over 250 games.