Football
PA Sport 6y

St Etienne pitch invasion, Balotelli red card caps drama-filled Ligue 1 weekend

Mario Balotelli scored the winner but was later sent off as struggling Nice ended a four-match Ligue 1 losing streak by beating Dijon 1-0 at home.

Former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli converted a 39th-minute penalty for his sixth league goal after Alassane Plea was brought down by Jordan Marie.

But his afternoon ended on a sour note when he was shown a straight red card for a tackle from behind on defender Cedric Yambere.

Ugly scenes marred the end of Lyon's 5-0 derby destruction of bitter rivals St Etienne as angry home fans temporarily delayed the match by invading the pitch.

Supporters spilled onto the field in the 85th minute at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard after Lyon captain Nabil Fekir celebrated the visitors' fifth goal of the evening by controversially taking off his shirt and raising it in front of them.

Play was suspended for around 20 minutes before both teams returned to the field to complete the Ligue 1 match.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas was quick to condemn the trouble, calling it "scandalous'' on his official Twitter account.

"@OL @CanalFootClub attacks before the game on our supporters, then the field where n has been clubbed permanently: scandalous," Aulas tweeted.

It was an evening to forget for the home side from the moment Netherlands international forward Memphis Depay calmly rolled in the away side's 10th-minute opener, before Fekir drove home the second from the edge of the box 15 minutes later.

The hosts' uphill task became even more difficult when defender Leo Lacroix was sent off for scything down Fekir on the touchline two minutes into the second half and they were made to pay as Mariano Diaz and Bertrand Traore added further goals.

France international midfielder Fekir further compounded their misery by tucking in a late fifth, sparking the unsavoury scenes with his provocative behaviour.

There was also controversy at the Stade Velodrome where Marseille supporters held up banners criticising suspended defender Patrice Evra ahead of their 5-0 Ligue 1 thrashing of Caen.

The former Manchester United full-back aimed a kick at one of the club's fans before Thursday's Europa League game at Vitoria and on Sunday OM fans displayed messages which included the phrases "Evra go away" and "respect supporters."

On the pitch, France forward Florian Thauvin scored twice to help his side to fourth in the table with a convincing win.

Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo struck the first-half opener, while midfielder Morgan Sanson and Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou were also on target in between Thauvin's two goals.

In Sunday's other fixture, struggling Lille recorded just their second victory of the campaign by beating bottom club Metz 3-0.

Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pepe scored twice for the visitors -- a penalty and a placed finish -- either side of a drilled shot from midfielder Fares Bahlouli.

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