AS St. Etienne have to take the hard way into the second division. The old champions lost in the relegation to Auxerre in a penalty shootout – then there were serious riots.
When things are going well, a storm on the pitch can make for beautiful pictures, but woe betide when things don’t go well – and angry supporters storm onto the pitch. That’s what happened in France on Sunday after St. Etienne lost 4-5 on penalties to Auxerre in the relegation second leg.
Hundreds of hooded mobsters then stormed onto the pitch, throwing fireworks and other pyrotechnics towards the players and police. Due to the sheer mass of bengalos thrown, there were also minor fires and a lot of smoke, and players and supporters fled into the catacombs. The police used tear gas to get the situation under control again. It is still unclear whether there were any injuries.
Sporting not an exciting game
Sportingly, the game was a bore, just like the first leg (1:1), after 90 and 120 minutes respectively, the score was 1-1. In the penalty shoot-out, Ryad Boudebouz missed the decisive attempt. Thus, record champions St. Etienne had to be relegated.
