Reims up to sixth

Reims continued their fine run of recent form with a comfortable 4-2 victory over Bastia which moved them up to sixth.

Reims continued their fine run of recent form with a comfortable 4-2 victory over Bastia at Stade Auguste Delaune which moved them up to sixth in Ligue 1. Nicolas de Preville fired the hosts into the lead and Grzegorz Krychowiak doubled their advantage from the penalty spot before the interval. Romaric pulled a goal back for Bastia shortly after the resumption, but Prince Oniangue and Eliran Atar sealed a straightforward win for Reims, meaning Wahbi Khazri's late free-kick was mere consolation for the visitors. The hosts had lost just one of their previous 11 games and there was little doubt they would extend that good run once they took the lead. But it could have been a different contest had Kossi Agassa in the Reims goal not made an excellent save to keep out Claudiu Keseru's header with the game still scoreless. The failure to convert the chance proved costly for the visitors as they fell behind soon after in the 24th minute. Reims broke quickly out of defence and De Previle kept his composure to slot home with a low shot from just outside the penalty area. Bastia looked for a way back into the game but their deficit doubled just before half-time as Julien Sable brought down Floyd Ayite in the box, with Krychowiak dispatching the penalty beyond keeper Mickael Landreau. The visitors gave themselves hope of a fightback when Romaric headed home from Khazri's excellent cross, but Reims restored their two-goal lead just three minutes later as Oniangue produced a wonderful strike from distance to beat Landreau. Mads Albaek then teed up Atar for a simple finish to make it 4-1, before Khazri's made sure Bastia had the last word with his fine free-kick in stoppage time.