(Reuters) - Crowd trouble delayed the start of Thursday's Europa League match between Olympique Lyonnais and Besiktas after fans ran onto the pitch to escape missiles being thrown at them.
"Objects and firecrackers which were thrown from the upper parts of the stands forced the supporters to take refuge on the pitch," said the French club on Twitter. A UEFA spokesman said that the kickoff of the first leg of the quarter-final match had been delayed but that it would go ahead. The teams came onto the pitch at 21.40 local time, 35 minutes after the scheduled kickoff. French media said that fans of the French and Turkish sides also clashes outside the stadium before the game and hurled missiles at each other.