Frederic Hantz: 'Missing players no excuse for Bastia loss'

Frederic Hantz has refused to blame the absence of certain players for Bastia's defeat to Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Ludovic Genest had given Bastia an early lead at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, before Salomon Kalou struck either side of the break to earn Lille a 2-1 win.

"We mustn't hide behind those players who were missing," manager Hantz said in his press conference. "We wanted to play well, and we put ourselves in a good position to do that.

"We managed to score early, but we lacked the ability to win the ball back in midfield after that. If we'd been able to hold them until half time, it would have been a different game. We were under less pressure and were more compact after half time.

"We need a little luck and consistency. I'm rather satisfied with the way we played. The disappointing thing is to have finished the first half of the season without having won away from home."

Bastia are currently 13th in the Ligue 1 table.