Three and easy for St Etienne
Last Updated: September 1, 2012 10:07pm
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: On target again
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his third goal in two games as St Etienne claimed a straightforward victory at Bastia.
The Gabonese striker hit a brace last weekend as Les Verts turned Brest over for their first win of the Ligue 1 season and he was among the goals again in Corsica.
Summer signing Renaud Cohade got Christophe Gaultier's men off to the perfect start, with substitute Josua Guilavogui adding gloss to the scoreline after Aubameyang had made the points safe before the half-hour mark.
Despite their defensive frailty, Bastia had registered seven goals in their opening three games but Federic Hantz was shorn of the services of suspended striker Ilan.
They fell behind in the 11th minute, Aubameyang freeing Cohade down the left-hand channel and the ex-Valenciennes man coolly converting.
Macedo Novaes showed cat-like reflexes to repel Aubameyang's header after good work from Francois Clerc, but the tall forward soon etched his name on the scoresheet.
With 26 minutes played, Jonathan Brison picked out Aubameyang who duly slotted the ball in at the near post.
Florian Thauvin came close to reducing the deficit just before the break, weaving between two defenders before smashing twice against Stephane Ruffier in the St Etienne goal.
Aubameyang was hungry to notch a second brace in as many games but wasted the opportunity when set free by Romain Hamouma after the interval.
Les Bleus slowly worked their way back into the game, Julian Palmieri missing from close range after a quick break by Jerome Rothen.
Anthony Modeste saw a spectacular overhead kick snapped up by Ruffier in the 80th minute but the night belonged to the visitors from the mainland.
With one minute of normal time left on the clock at the Stade Armand Cesari, Guilavogui played a neat one-two with Aubameyang before steering a decisive third goal into the empty net.
Matches
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French Ligue 1
Table
French Ligue 1
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris St Germain | 37 | 80 |
| 2 | Marseille | 37 | 70 |
| 3 | Lyon | 37 | 64 |
| 4 | St Etienne | 37 | 62 |
| 5 | Lille | 37 | 61 |
| 6 | Nice | 37 | 61 |
| 7 | Lorient | 37 | 53 |
| 8 | Bordeaux | 37 | 52 |
| 9 | Montpellier | 37 | 52 |
| 10 | Toulouse | 37 | 48 |
| 11 | Rennes | 37 | 46 |
| 12 | Bastia | 37 | 46 |
| 13 | Valenciennes | 37 | 45 |
| 14 | Reims | 37 | 42 |
| 15 | Evian Thonon Gaillar | 37 | 40 |
| 16 | AC Ajaccio | 37 | 40 |
| 17 | Sochaux | 37 | 40 |
| 18 | Troyes | 37 | 37 |
| 19 | Nancy | 37 | 35 |
| 20 | Brest | 37 | 29 |
