Goals from Giovanni Sio and Floyd Ayite earned Bastia a slender 2-1 home victory over Lille in Ligue 1 this evening, with Ghislain Printant's men recovering from a goal down to win at the Stade Armand Cesari.
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Lille went ahead in the 17th minute when Franck Beria crossed for Ryan Mendes, who beat his marker to head low past Alphonse Areola and into the bottom corner.
The away side's lead was to last just five minutes as Gael Danic sent in a ball for striker Sio, who produced a precise header of his own to drag Bastia back on level terms.
Danic was involved again before the half-time whistle as he led a quick counter-attacking move to find Ayite on the edge of the area, and he produced a masterful effort that flew into the top corner and put the hosts in front.
Bastia's Ryad Boudebouz looked to push his team further ahead in the second period, only to be denied by Areola's smart stop up in the top-left corner.
Lille passed up a good chance to restore parity with just under 30 minutes remaining as Kevin Koubemba shot wide from the left side of the box after good work from Mendes, leaving Bastia to claim all three points.
Christopher Dodd
