Bastia and Bordeaux settled for a point each in Ligue 1 this evening as the sides played out a goalless draw at the Stade Armand Cesari.
The encounter's first real chance was not created until the 13th minute and it came for Bastia when skipper Yannick Cahuzac forced a good save down low from Bordeaux keeper Cedric Carrasso.
Isaac Thelin was wasteful on his debut for Bordeaux, as the striker blasted high and wide from the centre of the box having been picked out by strike partner Thomas Toure.
Back came Basta, though, and they almost found an opener through Sebastien Squillaci, who rose highest to meet a cross from Ryad Boudebouz, only to head well over the crossbar.
Toure cut a frustrated figure for Bordeaux after the break as he was denied smartly on two separate occasions by Bastia stopper Jean-Louis Leca.
Bastia's hopes of claiming three home points were put under real strain in the 62nd minute when skipper Cahuzac was dismissed for a second yellow card following a poor tackle on Toure.
The side with 10 men almost grabbed a winner in the dying minutes when Francois Modesto flicked a point-blank effort towards the bottom corner, where Carrasso was waiting to make a timely save as the game ended goalless.
Christopher Dodd
