St Etienne Fans Invade Pitch After Relegation

Written By John Mutiso 📝

Saint-Etienne were relegated from Ligue 1 after losing a penalty shoot-out to Auxerre in a play-off.

After the defeat, angry Etienne fans stormed the pitch, hurling flares at the main stand and the players’ tunnel.

Police armed with shields and batons used tear gas to disperse supporters.

The defeat ends the 10-time French champions’ 18-year stay in the top flight and Auxerre’s 10-year absence.

Following a 1-1 tie in the first leg, Auxerre’s Hamza Sakhi scored before Saint-Mahdi Etienne’s Camara equalized.

That took the tie to penalties. Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Leon saved from Ryad Boudebou, giving Birama Toure the chance to make it 5-4 in the shoot-out and win it for the Ligue 2 side.

He made no mistake, and as soon as the ball nestled in the goal, fans flooded onto the pitch.

Players fled to the safety of the dressing rooms as police tried to quell the trouble.

They were just the most recent ugly scenes at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne. 

The club has been fined several times this season for crowd trouble, and the game on Sunday was played with one stand closed due to unrest at a game against Monaco last month.