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Riot police officers evacuate the stands after Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Montpellier and Saint-Etienne was abandoned (Sylvain THOMAS)
The French Ligue 1 clash between relegation battlers Montpellier and Saint-Etienne on Sunday was abandoned in the second half after flares were thrown by supporters, briefly causing a fire to break out in the stands.
Saint-Etienne were leading home side Montpellier 2-0 when the action was halted in the 57th minute, with a decision taken to abandon the match altogether shortly after.
Referee Francois Letexier confirmed to reporters during a press conference that the game had been abandoned on the order of the authorities after police were forced to intervene to restore calm.
Lucas Stassin had scored twice for Saint-Etienne who were on course to claim a vital win in their fight against relegation despite being reduced to 10 men just before half-time.
Montpellier are bottom of the table, five points adrift of Saint-Etienne, who are themselves a point behind Le Havre in the relegation play-off spot and three points away from outright safety.
The trouble erupted just after Saint-Etienne's second goal went in, while broadcaster DAZN reported that incidents had also taken place outside the stadium.
The hotel where the Saint-Etienne team were staying had also been targeted overnight, with fireworks launched at its facade at around 3:00 am local time, although police said there were no injuries or serious damage caused.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1 on Sunday, leaders Paris Saint-Germain host second-placed Marseille later, while Lyon climbed into fifth by beating Le Havre 4-2.
Strasbourg boosted their European chances by beating Toulouse 2-1, and Brest drew 0-0 with Reims.
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