Lyon captain chased by fans for celebrating goal like Messi

Nabil Fekir's act of holding up his shirt after scoring the winning goal caused the opposing fans to storm the pitch in anger.

The incident took place during the Rhonealpin derby between Lyon and Saint-Etienne in round 12 of Ligue 1 on the evening of November 5. Despite playing away from home, Lyon won 5-0, with Fekir scoring twice.

After scoring the winning goal in the 84th minute, Fekir threw his captain's armband on the field, took off his shirt and waved it towards the stands. This action resembled Lionel Messi's goal celebration in Barca's 3-2 win over Real in La Liga in April.

The 24-year-old midfielder's actions enraged the Saint-Etienne fans. They stormed the pitch, hunting for Lyon players and throwing objects. Referee Clement Turpin was forced to stop the game. Security guards escorted the players off the pitch and restored order. After more than 30 minutes, the game was able to resume.

Fekir imitates Messi's celebration. Photo: AFP

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas quickly spoke up, saying his player had acted shamefully. Fekir is a mainstay of Lyon with 11 goals in 11 games. He seemed to want revenge for being fouled many times by Saint-Etienne players, but that action was not defended by coach Bruno Genesio.

"It's a shame. The best thing is to win. There's no point in provoking or rubbing salt into your opponent's wounds. He could have been killed for it. You can't do that," Bruno said.

Fekir said he did not mean to humiliate anyone by celebrating his goal like that. "I celebrated that way. I did not want to upset anyone. Maybe it is not right to do it when you win 5-0 but this is football. Do I apologize? No, I do not regret what I did," said the French midfielder.

According to VNE