Mori Dio is carried away on a stretcher after being hit by firecrackers / Photo: © Panoramic / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press
The Clermont goalkeeper was carried off the pitch on a stretcher. The match had to be stopped.
The match of the eighth round of the French Ligue 1 between Montpellier and Clermont did not end at all as the fans of both teams wanted. The fan’s dangerous act led to one of the players leaving the field on a stretcher, and the rest leaving for the locker room ahead of schedule. Now the fate of the game is in doubt.
But the hosts were as close as possible to victory!
With a Russian trace
Both teams approached the head-to-head meeting not in the best condition. Montpellier were in eighth place with only two wins in seven matches. “Clermont” finished at the bottom of the standings with two points.
It is noteworthy that the statistics of personal meetings were on the side of the “red-blues”. Footballers from Clermont-Ferrand won eight victories in 14 matches, while Montpellier celebrated success only four times. In two more games the teams shared points.
Russian football fans had someone to follow in the match: ex-football players of Moscow Spartak Maximiliano Cofrier and Shamar Nicholson were playing for Clermont.
Two doubles and two penalties
The first half turned out to be rich in goals. Montpellier twice took the lead through goals from Moussa Al-Tamari and Tezhi Savanier, but Clermont fought back through the efforts of Yoann Magnin and Cheick Konaté. It is noteworthy that Nicholson gave both assists for the Red-Blues.
In the second half, Al-Tamari and Savanier scored once more. It is worth noting that Teji sent both of his goals into the goal from the 11-meter mark. From the 55th minute, Montpellier played in the minority – defender Maxim Esteve received two yellow cards.
Concussion and middle finger
At the end of the match, it was really hot on the field at the Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier.
In the 93rd minute, a firecracker, thrown onto the field by one of the Montpellier fans, exploded near Clermont goalkeeper Maury Dio. The goalkeeper fell on the lawn and lost consciousness. Referee Florent Batta stopped the game and asked the players to go to the locker rooms.
Mori Dio is carried away on a stretcher after being hit by firecrackers / Photo: ©
Panoramic / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look PressAt the same time, Clermont midfielder Vivaldo Borges do Santos Neto showed the middle finger to the stands. The referee did not appreciate the player’s outburst and showed him a straight red card.
The injured Dio left the field on a stretcher. According to the preliminary version, he was concussed from a firecracker explosion.
Extremely disappointing loss
Now Montpellier’s victory is in big doubt. The fate of the match will be decided soon. It is likely that the hosts will be awarded a technical defeat, and their fans will be punished in the most serious way.
There have already been such cases in the history of football. The most famous happened in 2015 at the match between the national teams of Russia and Montenegro. Then a fire thrown from the stands of the stadium in Podgorica hit goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. The goalkeeper suffered a concussion and a burn to the neck. Then various objects flew onto the field more than once, which is why the game was stopped. As a result, the Montenegrins received a technical defeat and a large fine, and the fan who threw a fire at Akinfeev was imprisoned for several months.
