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Champions Lille hold Metz as Marseille sink Montpellier

Sven Botman gave Lille a perfect start at Metz with a 23rd-minute opener
Last Updated 08 August 2021, 23:02 IST

Ligue 1 champions Lille fought back from two goals down to grind out a last-gasp 3-3 draw at 10-man Metz in their opening game of the season while Olympique Marseille celebrated a 3-2 win at Montpellier on Sunday.

The latter fixture was held up for 15 minutes in the closing stages as referee Jeremie Pignard ordered the teams off the pitch in the 89th minute after Montpellier fans hurled water bottles at visiting players.

Promoted Clermont Foot enjoyed a dream debut in the top tier after late goals from Mohamed Bayo and Jodel Dossou sealed a 2-0 win at Girondins Bordeaux in their first-ever appearance at the highest level.

Elsewhere, Nice were held to a 0-0 home stalemate by Reims, Lorient earned a 1-1 draw at St Etienne and Angers celebrated a 2-0 win at Strasbourg.

Sven Botman gave Lille a perfect start at Metz with a 23rd-minute opener but the home side, roared on by a fervent crowd, turned the tide by halftime with goals from Fabien Cetonze and Mathieu Udol.

Centonze made it 3-1 with a freakish goal in the 52nd minute as an attempted clearance by the visitors rebounded off him into the net before Metz had Kiki Kouyabe sent off four minutes later for a reckless tackle on an opponent.

Metz looked like hanging on for a win but Jonathan Ikone reduced the arrears with a side-footed finish in the 81st minute before Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz levelled with the last kick of the game deep into stoppage time.

A Luan Peres own goal on his debut for Marseille and a superb Gaetan Laborde effort gave Montpellier a 2-0 lead in the first half but Marseille turned the match on its head thanks to Cengiz Under and a brilliant Dimitri Payet brace.

Turkey winger Under, on loan at Marseille from Serie A side Roma, hauled the visitors back into the match in the 68th minute before Payet equalised with a delightful free-kick and then completed the comeback after a dazzling solo run.

With Marseille defending in the dying minutes, the home supporters pelted them and prompted the officials and both teams to retreat into the tunnel before the match eventually resumed after organisers warned the crowd it could be abandoned.

Vincent Le Goff fired Lorient into a 70th-minute lead at St Etienne before Wahbi Kharzi levelled with a 70th-minute penalty, while second-half goals from Ismael Traore and Stephane Bahoken gave Angers the win at Srasbourg.

In the day's early fixture, Lens ground out a 1-1 draw at Rennes as Sekona Fofana struck in the 19th minute to cancel out a Kamaldeen Sulemana opener for the home side five minutes earlier.

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(Published 08 August 2021, 23:02 IST)

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