Lyon vs Marseille, Lens vs Lille, & the Ligue 1 fixtures hit by crowd trouble in 2021-22

Another Ligue 1 clash has been brought to a standstill amid disruption, as Lyon's encounter with Marseille was halted after Dimitri Payet was struck by a water bottle early in the first half.

The incident, which happened as the Marseille midfielder stepped up to take a corner at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, saw both teams subsequently withdraw from the pitch, with attempts to restart the game ultimately frustrated.

It is just the latest instance of a top-flight French encounter marred by acts of hostility towards players this season - and with that in mind, GOAL takes a look at just what games have been affected by crowd trouble.

Montpellier 2-3 Marseille - August 8, 2021

The new domestic season had barely kicked off before the first signs of trouble had reared their head over the horizon - and not for the first time, Payet proved to be involved.

During celebrations for Payet's goal - the eventual matchwinner as the visitors fought back from two goals down - that team-mate Valentin Rongier was struck in the face by a projectile.

The incident forced the temporary suspension of the match, and the midfielder later took to social media to reveal the swollen lip caused by the impact following the full-time whistle.

Nice 1–0 Marseille (Match Abandoned) - August 22, 2021

While Marseille were able to get to the end of their season opener, they were unable to complete their game with Nice two weeks later after another incident involving Payet sparked a violent pitch invasion.

With his side trailing, the former West Ham man narrowly dodged a water bottle thrown at him from the stands and furiously lobbed it back into the crowd - sparking a stream of ultras vaulting the hoardings to take to the pitch.

The match was abandoned and forced to be replayed behind closed doors last month, with the two sides sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Troyes.

Lens 1-0 Lille - September 18, 2021

The Derby du Nord has always been one of France's more fearsome rivalries but the scenes which delayed the start of the second half earlier this autumn were particularly aggressive even for this fixture.

Both sets of fans appeared to exchange thrown items before home supporters stormed the pitch, forcing an ultimate delay of over half-an-hour before the match was able to resume, with riot police needed to halt the issue.

Lens ultimately went on to win thanks to a second-half goal from Przemyslaw Frankowski, with the presence of the authorities helping to stop any further spillover of controversy between the opposing supporters.

Angers 0-0 Marseille - September 22, 2021

Play had to be halted once more with Marseille in action, after their supporters mounted a late pitch invasion of their own in their goalless draw with Angers in September.

Both sets of supporters clashed in the stands late on as tensions boiled over, resulting in a brawl that led to spillover onto the turf.

Fans had to be removed before the game could be resumed, in one of two major instances of disorder that day alone in the top flight.

Montpellier 3-3 Bordeaux - September 22, 2021

Even before fans had got to the stadium, Montpellier's clash with Bordeaux was marred with problems after a bus full of Bordeaux supporters was attacked by home ultras.

Stones were hurled at the coach, causing damage to the vehicle and leaving several supporters nursing injuries.

The match went ahead, with the two sides combining to play a six-goal thriller, but the eventual result was still overshadowed by the actions in the build-up.

Lyon 0-0 Marseille (Match Abandoned) - November 21, 2021

The most recent of Ligue 1's major incidents, Lyon and Marseille's clash was only four minutes in before it was brought to a halt.

Payet was struck by a water bottle ahead of his early set-piece and players from both sides rushed over to dissuade further incidents from the crowd before the player left the field with an ice pack to his face.

The two teams followed and although a restart was planned, the match was ultimately abandoned after Marseille refused to return to the field and with the stands almost empty.