Paris Saint Germain gave up a two-goal lead as Bastia stormed back to win 4-2 in Corsica on Saturday as the defending champions spurned the chance to go top of Ligue 1.
Instead the shock loss left Paris in fourth place after Saint Etienne extended their unbeaten league run to 10 games, beating Reims 2-1 to climb up to third.
PSG had looked to be in total control after goals in the 10th minute from Lucas, a lovely lob, and in the 20th when the 19-year-old Tottenham-linked midfielder Adrien Rabiot pounced on the loose ball and fired it with his left foot into the bottom corner.
Ryad Boudebouz pulled one back from the spot for Bastia on the half-hour after Gregory Van der Wiel was harshly judged to have handled.
And just on the stroke of half-time David Luiz was caught napping as Francois Modesto headed home a corner.
Bastia took the lead with a thunderbolt in every sense of the word, as defender Julien Palmieri latched on to a poorly cleared corner in the 56th minute and unleashed a jaw-dropping half-volley.
The pulsating finale ended when Palmieri himself ran clear of the defence to make it 4-2 in the 89th minute for a fully deserved win that ended eight straight Ligue 1 defeats for Bastia to the capital side.
“I’m delighted with the three points given the tricky situation we’re in. But let’s not get carried away,” said Bastia coach Ghislain Printant.
“If we lose our upcoming games it won’t mean much, so let’s stay humble.”
The victory was welcome relief for struggling Bastia, who are now two points and four places above the relegation zone.
Paris coach Laurent Blanc put the defeat down to a lack of respect for the adversary.
“We stopped respecting them after the first 35 minutes and they made us pay a heavy price,” said Blanc.
“Then the crowd got behind them and you all know the end of the story,” Blanc he added, annoyed that his side had let in three goals from dead ball situations.
Ahead of the match a one minute silence was observed in the wake of the Islamist attacks that left 17 people dead this week. Some local fans unfurled a banner reading ‘Qatar finances PSG and terrorism’.
Ligue 1 leaders Marseille, on 41 points, also lost on Friday when they went down 2-1 at Montpellier. Lyon are second on 39 points and lead Saint Etienne on goal difference with both teams a point ahead of PSG.
Propelled by 17-goal top scorer Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon will now be licking their lips as they target three points at home to Toulouse on Sunday that would see them go a point clear at the top.
Elsewhere Nice beat Lorient 3-1 with Carlos Eduardo’s lovely volley rounding off the win. Evian and Rennes shared the spoils of a 1-1 draw, Guingamp beat Lens 2-0 while Lille beat rock bottom Caen 1-0.
Fifth plays sixth at the Stade Louis II on Sunday night when Monaco entertain Bordeaux in a match which will see visiting coach Willy Sagnol return to the ground where he played between 1997 and 2000. – Agence France-Presse