Bastia thump struggling Brest

Relegation-threatened Brest slumped to a fourth successive defeat as Florian Thauvin scoring twice in Bastia's 4-0 victory.

Relegation-threatened Brest slumped to a fourth successive defeat in Corentin Martins' first match in charge, with Florian Thauvin scoring twice in a comfortable 4-0 Bastia victory. Martins took over on an interim basis when Landry Chevin was sacked last week but was unable to arrest the slide. It took Bastia 41 minutes to break the deadlock through Wahbi Khazri, but they had time to add three more as Thauvin's brace and Anthony Modeste's penalty punished the visitors, who also lost goalkeeper Joan Hartock to a late red card. In what was a quiet opening half hour, Brest were busier in front of goal but Bernard Mendy and Charlison Benschop missed with decent chances. On the half-hour mark only a moment of goalkeeping brilliance from Hartock kept the scores level as Modeste was denied from point-blank range. Bastia were not to be kept out for long, though, Khazri sending a superb shot over the wall and beyond Hartock for a half-time lead. Bastia came back out with intent and soon doubled their lead. Jerome Rothen fired in a cross which Thauvin converted at the near post. Brest rallied and went close to pulling a goal back on the hour mark when Jonathan Ayite hit a post. Bastia all but sealed the points with a third goal in the 71st minute. Thauvin found himself one on one and the in-form youngster confidently beat Hartock with the outside of his left foot. Things went from bad to worse not long after for Brest when Hartock was given his marching orders for bringing down Modeste in the area. The former Bordeaux hitman dusted himself down and slotted the resulting penalty beyond substitute keeper Lionel Cappone to complete the scoring.