Marseille’s goalless draw with Galatasaray was halted for eight minutes in the closing stages of the first half following crowd violence and the throwing of projectiles.
Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim, as well as respective club captains Fernando Muslera and Dimitri Payet, approached the area of the pitch closest to the warring fans in an attempt to de-escalate the trouble.
After water bottles were thrown at Marseille players by the home crowd — one appearing to hit Payet — fans eventually overcame security resistance to spill onto the pitch for the ensuing mass melee.
Nice were subsequently handed a two-point penalty and ordered to replay the match — set to be played at a neutral venue behind closed doors.
‘We don’t want that reputation’
Meanwhile, in London, West Ham’s well-earned 2-0 victory over Rapid Vienna was offset by similar scenes of crowd violence.
Once again, images seemed to show multiple projectiles thrown between the home and away sections of the London Stadium — including a water cooler.
Reports emerged of some traveling Rapid Vienna fans attempting to jump over the barriers and through security perimeters to approach the home fans following Declan Rice’s opening goal in the first half.
West Ham manager David Moyes revealed after the game that he had witnessed the trouble from his position on the sideline.
“I don’t know exactly how it started, I don’t know where it started, but I was aware of some things being thrown,” Moyes said.
“We want to be a club regularly in Europe, and because of that, we want to behave correctly.
“I don’t know who started it, but we don’t want that reputation. We want to be seen as a club who can travel to Europe and everybody welcomes us,” Moyes added.
The unsavory scenes put a disappointing footnote on what had been another excellent night in Europe for the Hammers, who now sit atop Group H following consecutive wins.
Said Benrahma ensured victory for West Ham with a tidy finish in added time, and his side will now look towards back-to-back fixtures with Belgium’s Genk as they seek to progress as group winners.