Defending champions Montpellier Herault were held to a 1-1 draw by AS Saint-Etienne on Friday, bringing an end to a frustrating week in which they had suffered two successive defeats.
Beaten 3-1 by promoted Stade de Reims seven days ago, and then 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday, Montpellier needed a second-half equalizer from veteran Senegalese international striker Souleymane Camara to salvage a point on Friday.
In the 69th minute, substitute Marco Estrada released Anthony Mounier down the left flank.
Photo: AFP
His cross was cleared by Jean-Pascal Mignot before Remy Cabella picked up the loose ball to put Camara through for the goal.
Saint-Etienne had gone ahead in the third minute of injury time at the end of the first half when Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed his fourth goal of the season.
Max-Alain Gradel created the opportunity by accelerating away down the left, away from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, before crossing to the far post, where Aubameyang scored into an empty net.
Montpellier boss Rene Girard was furious that his team had to play on Friday after such a tough European encounter.
“I am not paranoid. I simply say that it’s a question of fairness. We played Arsenal, one of the best sides in Europe; we did not play Pink Floyd of Kiev,” Girard said.
Montpellier are 14th in the table with five points, 10 points behind leaders Marseille, while Saint-Etienne are eighth with seven points.
“We started the first half poorly,” Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren said. “I’ve said this several times now, but we will have to react. We’re trying to fight back, but for the time being it’s not happening for us.”
“Obviously we’re a bit disappointed,” Aubameyang said. “We played well against a good Montpellier side and we had a lot of chances.”
Montpellier defender Yanga-Mbiwa was lucky to stay on the field after elbowing winger Romain Hamouma late in the first half.
Referee Lionel Jaffredo told Hamouma to get up, suggesting he thought he was simulating injury, when replays clearly showed Yanga-Mbiwa’s elbow connecting with Hamouma’s face. This sparked a brief melee, with players from both sides pushing and shoving.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS