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Saint-Etienne hammered 4-1 at home by 9-man Nice in Ligue 1

Saint-Etienne missed the chance to close the gap on French league leader Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday as it fell to a surprise 4-1 defeat at home to a Nice side which ended the match with nine men.

Hatem Ben Arfa scored two stunning goals for Nice after Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin had cancelled out Vincent Koziello's fifth-minute opener.

Jean-Michael Seri scored Nice's other goal before teammates Nampalys Mendy and Maxime Le Marchand were dismissed in separate incidents.

Jean-Christophe Bahebeck missed a late penalty for Saint-Etienne, which remained four points behind PSG after the three-time defending champion's victory at Nantes on Saturday.

Earlier, Marseille's miserable start to the season continued with a 2-1 home defeat to Angers. Montpellier beat Lorient 2-1 and last year's runner-up Monaco was held 3-3 at Guingamp.

Marseille's defender Paolo De Ceglie, left, challenges for the ball with Angers' midfielder Abdoul Camara, as the Marseille' supporters south section is empty, during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. Marseille has been ordered to close sections of the Velodrome stadium for its next league match following crowd trouble last weekend. Marseille was sanctioned for its fans' behavior during last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Lyon.(AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
Angers players celebrate after Angers' defender Romain Thomas, right, scored against Marseille, during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
Angers players celebrate after Angers' defender Romain Thomas, right, scored against Marseille, during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
Angers' defender Romain Thomas, left, in action with Marseille's defender Lucas Ocampos, during their League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
Marseille's Nicolas NKoulou, left, challenges for the ball with Angers' Ferebory Dore , during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sep.27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
Angers' defender Romain Thomas reacts after scoring against Marseille, during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Angers, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) The Associated Press
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