PARIS: Promoted RC Lens won 2-1 at Mont­pellier to move up to sixth place on Saturday in what unexpectedly turned out to be the only Ligue 1 game of the day.

Olympique de Marseille’s home match against Stade Rennais was postponed just three hours before kickoff, following angry protests from disgruntled Marseille fans at the club’s training complex.

When the league called off Marseille’s game, Lens were leading Montpellier 1-0 thanks to Mali midfielder Cheick Doucoure’s early goal.

Winger Gael Kakuta’s ninth league goal of an impressive campaign made it 2-0 midway through the second half, before 18-year-old forward Elye Wahi pulled one back in the 78th and then missed a chance to equalize for mid-table Montpellier.

Next up for Lens is a home game against seventh-placed Marseille, who will have played two fewer games than most other sides after this weekend and are scheduled to face bitter rivals Paris St Germain next Sunday.

The French League (LFP) moved quickly to postpone the game against Rennes at Stade Velodrome after Marseille fans descended on the training ground in the afternoon to protest poor results. Marseille have lost their last four games and scored only three goals in the last five. Fans have called for club president Jacques-Henri Eyraud to leave.

TV pictures showed supporters forcing their way in and some were seen throwing flares and lighting firecrackers.

“A few hundred individuals from the ultra fan groups broke into the Commanderie’s training centre by force and with violence,” Marseille said in a statement.

“It was an unjustifiable outbreak of violence that put the lives of the persons present — staff and players — in danger,” the club added, saying the damage amounted to “several hundred thousand euros”.

Local police in France’s Bouches-du-Rhone department earlier said 25 arrests were made and seven police officers were injured after “300 OM supporters violently attacked police officers present to secure La Commanderie”.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2021