NANTES: Emotions ran high as Nantes paid tribute to their former player Emiliano Sala on Wednesday in their first game since the Argentine went missing in a light aircraft over the English Channel.

Referee Frank Schneider stopped play in the Ligue 1 match against St Etienne at La Beaujoire in the ninth minute — in a possible reference to Sala’s shirt number — for a minute of applause during which Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic was in tears.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw after Nantes’ Majeed Waris cancelled out Remy Cabella’s second-half opener for St Etienne.

St Etienne are fourth in the table on 37 points from 22 games, while Nantes lie 14th on 24 points.

“It was a very special night, we played more for him than for us,” Nantes defender Diego Carlos said after the 1-1 draw. “We gave everything for him.”

Fans broke out into long and sustained chants of “Emiliano Sala, Emiliano Sala, Emiliano, Emiliano, Emiliano Sala” around the stadium when the referee paused the match for more than one minute.

The former Nantes striker has been missing since a plane transporting him to the Welsh city of Cardiff went off the radar. Sala had just been signed by Premier League club Cardiff City for a club-record fee.

In Wednesday’s other match, South Africa striker Lebo Mothiba scored twice as Strasbourg beat Bordeaux 3-2 at home to reach the League Cup final. Strasbourg will play Guingamp on March 30.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2019