- St Etienne recovered late, with a double from Irvin Cardona in stoppage time.
- It was claimed that Albert Riera had ‘slapped’ a St Etienne player in the middle of the match
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Bordeaux have denied allegations that their coach, and former Liverpool midfielder, Albert Riera, had allegedly “slapped a rival player” after their 2-1 defeat to St Etienne on Saturday.
According RMC sportA beIN Sports journalist, who was present at the match, claimed that the Bordeaux coach “slapped” the unidentified opponent after “a fight in the tunnel.”
Despite the reports, Bordeaux has denied that the incident occurred, releasing a statement about the club website on Saturday.
“FC Girondins de Bordeaux would like to correct the misinformation circulating on social media following this afternoon’s match,” Bordeaux wrote.
‘After the game there was a brief stampede at the entrance to the locker room, to which our coach simply reacted. Both the referees and the delegates did not consider it necessary to report.’
Bordeaux denies that coach Albert Riera ‘slapped’ a player after Saturday’s defeat
Bordeaux were defeated 2-1 by St Etienne in a dramatic match at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Bordeaux wrote on
According to RMC, no live footage of the incident was broadcast.
The defeat left Bordeaux in 14th place in the Ligue 2 standings and Riera’s team is winless in its last two league games.
They had gone ahead in the match at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, when Spanish midfielder Pedro Díaz put Bordeaux up 1-0 just before half-time. St Etienne were left with 10 men after Mikel Nade collided with Bordeaux’s Vital Nsimba.
Bordeaux had several chances after that, but a dramatic turn of events saw St Etienne striker Irvin Cardona score twice in stoppage time to snatch victory from the visitors in the dying embers of the match.
Riera, who enjoyed spells at Liverpool and Manchester City, was appointed Bordeaux manager in October 2023, returning to the French team after making 66 appearances for Les Girondis in the early years of his professional career between 2003 and 2005.
Riera was accused of “slapping” an opposing player after a “tunnel brawl” during regulation.
Riera made 66 appearances for Liverpool as a player between 2008 and 2010 before Rafa Benitez excluded him.
St Etienne defender Mickael Nade was sent off in the second half as tempers flared on the pitch.
Perdo Díaz would score just before halftime to give Bordeaux a 1-0 lead in the match.
Irvin Cardona would inspire a late comeback, scoring two goals in injury time to seal the 2-1 victory.
The St Etienne players celebrated the victory after consolidating themselves in third position in Ligue 2
In later years, the 42-year-old would move to Liverpool, where he would make 56 appearances in all competitions under Rafa Benitez, before going on to play for Olympiacos, Watford and a number of other teams.
The Spain international was suspended by Benitez in 2010 after openly criticizing the Reds manager and calling out Liverpool, according to The Guardiana ‘sinking ship’.
Riera hung up his boots in 2016, before assuming management, He took up the position of assistant coach at Galatasaray, before managing Slovenian teams NK Celjie and NK Olimpija Ljubljana.