Lille forward Nicolas Pepe ‘kicked by fans’ as raging supporters invade pitch and attempt to storm tunnel

LILLE forward Nicolas Pepe was apparently kicked by one of his own fans as they stormed the pitch following the side’s 1-1 draw against Montpellier.

Supporters clashed with security at the Metropole Grand stadium at the final whistle.

Around 200 of the Lille fans had to be held back by security as it was claimed they attempted to storm down the tunnel to confront the players.

Stewards struggled to hold back the wave of supporters, who chanted insults.

It looked like security would not be enough at one point, with the huge group of irate supporters threatening to breakthrough the makeshift barricade.

But eventually serious trouble was averted and they were sent back to the stands.

AFP

AFP

Lille sit second-bottom of Ligue 1 on 28 points, eight points ahead of last-place Metz.

The draw against a side seventh in the league should have been met with a decent nod of approval given Lille’s struggles.

But that was not the case, with images showing skirmishes breaking out all over the pitch.

Pepe, 22, put Lille ahead in the 40th minute when he collected a fine ball from Yassine Benzia and swept home.

AFP

AFP

AFP

AFP

AFP

AFP

However, Jerome Roussillon grabbed a 62nd minute equaliser to ensure honours were shared.

The shocking scenes came on a day of fan discontent.

The London Stadium flared up as furious Irons fans stormed the pitch in protest at co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold.