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This afternoon’s Derby du Nord will have been a feisty affair both on and off the pitch, as Lens’ win was in part overshadowed by a pitch invasion and confrontation between fans at half-time, that required an intervention from riot police.
Winger Przemysław Frankowski scored a late winner after an all-action, end-to-end game between the two local rivals, as the second half kicked off half an hour late following the fan clashes.
RMC Sport report that tension had ignited between the away end the adjacent stand, resulting in confrontations and seats being thrown. This in turn prompted Lens fans from the other side of the pitch to rush across to take on the Lille supporters, before riot police pushed them back. One supporter and one member of the riot police were injured in the clashes.
The second half would restart with riot police lined in front of the stands, as supporters were told that any further incidents would result in a suspension of the match.
An adventurous Lens side, aided by their characteristically high press, eventually made the most of their string of opportunities to convert before the end of the game, taking them temporarily into 2nd place and leaving the champions in 13th with only 1 win in their opening 6 fixtures this season.
