Half-Time Report: Monaco denied lead by Bastia response

A Christopher Maboulou equaliser has ensured that Bastia ended the first half level at 1-1 with Monaco in their Ligue 1 game this evening.

Monaco were on top from the first whistle, and they should have been ahead in the fourth minute when Valere Germain released Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, who fired a poor effort wide of the post.

Germain showed his teammate how to remain calm in front of goal moments later as he beat the offside trap before slotting past a helpless Alphonse Areola.

Bastia responded well after suffering the early setback, and Ryad Boudebouz came close to responding immediately with a powerful free kick which forced Danijel Subasic into a good save.

An extended spell of Bastia dominance was rewarded midway through the first half when Maboulou found space to power a header home from Francois Kamano's cross.

Bastia were denied a second goal by Subasic, who displayed impressive reflexes to keep out Sebastien Squillaci's header following good work from Boudebouz.

Lacina Traore, back in the Monaco side as a replacement for the injured Dimitar Berbatov, should have done more to capitalise on a rare opening before the break, but he could only slice wide while under pressure in the box.