Violent pitch invasion as Saint-Etienne get relegated

St Etienne lost their top flight status in the French League, which led to a violent pitch invasion where the team's players were assaulted with flares and fireworks.

Les Verts suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat in their play-off fixture with Auxerre, and as one team celebrated, the other ran for the safety of the dressing room.

But fans of the relegated side immediately raced onto the pitch, hurling a range of pyrotechnics at the fleeing players.

Envahissement du terrain au stade Geoffroy-Guichard. #ASSE #ASSEAJA pic.twitter.com/N7pX2NVrhj

The worrying trend of dangerous pitch invasions continued following several recent high profile encounters throughout the England and France, while the Champions League final in Paris was delayed as a result of crowd congestion issues outside the stadium, where police needlessly used tear gas at times to attempt to control the situation.

Saint Etienne are relegated to Ligue 2… This is carnage. pic.twitter.com/qIwpvJ6zOT