ETIENNE GO PAST JURA, FIREWORKS

Paris, Jan. 3: SaintEtienne beat fourth-tier Jura Sud 4-1 to reach the French Cup’s Last 16 after the game was halted during the first-half on Sunday as fireworks were thrown onto the pitch by the Ligue 1 side’s fans.

Referee Bastien Dechepy ordered the players back into the changing rooms after just four minutes of the game due to thick smoke on the field after an object was thrown near the hosts’ goalkeeper, Cedric Mensah.

The fixture, in the round of 32 of the French Cup, was held in Louhans, 80 kilometres from Jura Sud’s home ground near the Swiss border, as the National 2 outfit’s ground failed to meet regulations.

The match restarted after an almost 20-minute delay with Les Verts leading 2-0 after a quarter of an hour thanks to efforts from Mickael Nade and Arnaud Nordin.

Midfielder Bakary Sako and playmaker Ryad Boudebouz then made it a rout in the final eight minutes after Tiago Cardoso Moura scored for the eastern side.

Elsewhere on Sunday, future new Monaco coach Philippe Clement watched from the stands as his side overcame Ligue 2’s Quevilly-Rouen 3-1, three days after the sacking of former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac.

Scotland U21s striker Fraser Hornby’s 93rd minute strike helped Reims avoid a possible shock to fifth-tier Thaonles-Vosges, with a 1-0 win.

Marseille also reached the next round at the expense of lower-division opposition easing past National 3 outfit Chauvigny 3-0.

Earlier in the day, Bordeaux were knocked out of the Cup in a 3-0 defeat at Brest after being forced to play despite registering 21 positive Covid19 cases.