Le Havre secured a 2-0 victory over Nantes in a French league match on Sunday, which was marred by a disruption caused by frustrated home fans attempting to storm the pitch. The match, held at Stade de La Beaujoire, was interrupted during second-half stoppage time and resumed after a 35-minute delay once riot police established control.
The incident occurred shortly after Le Havre’s Josué Casimir scored in the third minute, prompting some Nantes supporters to throw tennis balls and toilet paper onto the field. Referee Jérôme Brisard escorted the players off the pitch as tensions escalated. Once the Brigade Loire, Nantes’ main ultras group, left the stadium, the game resumed, albeit in a subdued atmosphere, with only three minutes remaining.
This defeat left Nantes, eight-time French champions, in 16th place in the 18-team league. Nantes striker Ignatius Ganago expressed empathy for the fans’ frustrations, stating, “Honestly, we weren’t expecting that. It’s rare to experience this kind of thing, but you can understand things from a fan’s point of view. We are not getting results. But it’s also difficult for us, the players.”
Le Havre’s Steve Ngoura extended the lead in the 74th minute, securing the win and lifting his team to 14th place, above Rennes.
In another match on Sunday, Nice came from behind to defeat midtable Strasbourg 2-1. Strasbourg’s Dilane Bakwa opened the scoring in the 20th minute, but Nice equalized through Melvin Bard in the 54th minute, following a pass from Sofiane Diop. Diop’s assist later led to an own goal by Strasbourg’s Abakar Sylla in the 62nd minute.
Nice’s victory places them fifth in the standings, just two points behind fourth-place Lille.
Zhegrova Shines for Lille
In a separate match, Lille edged Rennes 1-0, thanks to a goal from Edon Zhegrova, who continued his impressive form. The Kosovo winger netted the decisive goal in the 45th minute after a well-coordinated attack involving Rémy Cabella and Jonathan David. This marks Zhegrova’s fourth league goal of the season, putting him on track to surpass his previous total of six.
Despite a disallowed goal in the 57th minute for offside, Zhegrova received applause from fans as he exited the match, having clutched his left groin late in the game. Rennes, who recently appointed Jorge Sampaoli as coach following the dismissal of Julien Stéphan, currently sits in 15th place.
In additional matches, seventh-place Auxerre claimed a 1-0 victory over lowly Angers, with Hamed Traorè scoring in stoppage time. Earlier in the weekend, PSG defeated Toulouse 3-0, and Marseille triumphed 3-1 at Lens.
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