Saint-Etienne fans delayed their Ligue 1 clash with Angers as they threw flares and demanded manager Claude Puel be sacked, forcing riot police to guard the changing rooms.

The French side sit rock bottom of Ligue 1 after failing to win a single game so far this term. Saint-Etienne have scored just 11 goals, while leaking in 25 at the opposite end of the pitch.

Puel, who has been in charge of Les Stephanois since October 2019, has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, exacerbated by the 5-1 loss at Strasbourg last week.

Now, Les Verts fans let their anger boil over on Friday as they used a mass flare protest to call for Puel's dismissal.

The supporters forced their way down the stands, unveiling a banner that read: 'We've had enough talk, you're making us crack.'

While another was held up from the stands, declaring: 'Puel, directors, players, you are all responsible for this chaos.'

The home fans then rained flares down at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard during the players’ warm-up, setting their own goal nets and turf ablaze to prevent kickoff.

The game was delayed as the players were escorted back down the tunnel, while Puel appeared to have his own protection squad of French riot police guarding the entrance to protect him from his own fans.

The match did eventually get underway an hour later than scheduled but things went from bad to worse for Sainte as Angers took the lead through Ismael Traore after 29 minutes.

looked like another bleak, winless night for Puel’s side when Angelo Fulgini fired the visitors 2-0 up early in the second period.

But Wahbi Khazri’s free-kick handed Saint Etienne a lifeline as they clawed one back, before Mickael Nade’s headed home in the 94th minute to equalise.

The stoppage-time equaliser salvaged a point for the home side and Puel lives to see another match but the club’s winless start to the season was extended to 11 matches and they remain bottom of the table.

















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