Troubled Ajaccio slump to play-off loss

MONTPELLIER, France: Toulouse took a huge step towards preserving their French Ligue 1 status with a 3-0 win over troubled Ajaccio in the first leg of a relegation/promotion play-off staged at an empty stadium in Montpellier.

The match should have been played at Ajaccio’s own Francois-Coty stadium but French league officials switched it to a neutral venue and behind closed doors as the Corsican club were punished for the violent scenes which plagued their Ligue 2 play-off against Le Havre last week.

“I feel sorry for the guys who deserved to play in better conditions. They did the maximum after a very painful week,” said Ajaccio coach Olivier Pantaloni. “Yesterday, at 5 pm, I didn’t even know where we were going to play.”

On Wednesday, Max-Alain Gradel gave Toulouse, who were forced into a play-off after finishing the Ligue 1 season in third-from-bottom place, the lead with a first-half injury time free kick. Ajaccio goalkeeper Jean-Louis Leca injured his right shoulder trying to save the shot and was replaced by Riffi Mandanda.

Central defender Christopher Jullien added the second goal in the 51st minute with striker Sanago tucking away a third on the night from a 65th free-kick to give Toulouse a comfortable cushion ahead of Sunday’s second leg.