France's Ligue 1 sees flurry of red cards as referees get tough

With the weekend's last match, between Lille and leaders Paris Saint-Germain still to play, that took the weekend total in the French top flight to 11.

Struggling Nice finished with nine men as they lost 1-0 at Clermont

Angers ended with 10 as they lost 3-1 at home to Brest and both teams had two men sent off as Auxerre won 2-1 at Montpellier.

In the late afternoon game, despite a warning from their coach, Ajaccio finished with 10 men. Hosts Rennes, who won 2-1, even had a player on the bench sent off.

"Seeing the matches earlier in the day, I had the feeling that the referees had received firm instructions. I warned my players," said Ajaccio coach Olivier Pantaloni.

On Saturday, Vanderson was sent off as Monaco lost at home to Lens while Marseille beat Nantes despite losing Samuel Gigot. 

The 11 reds were a single-round high in Ligue 1 for the last 30 years, according to statistics company Opta.

It's the red card season in Ligue 1