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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Soccer-Champions Lille hold Metz as Marseille sink Montpellier

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Lille - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - April 9, 2021 Lille's Zeki Celik celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

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.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Lille - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - April 9, 2021 Lille's Zeki Celik celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

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.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Lille - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - April 9, 2021 Metz's Boubakar Kouyate is shown a yellow card by referee Clement Turpin REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

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 match in the 68th minute before Payet equalised with a delightful free kick and then completed the comeback after a dazzling solo run.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Lille - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - April 9, 2021 Lille's Burak Yilmaz in action with Metz's Habib Maiga REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

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-minuta 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.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Lille - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - April 9, 2021 Lille's Jonathan Ikone in action with Metz's Dylan Bronn REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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