Montpellier HSC have finally sealed their first ever French title after securing a 2-1 win away at Auxerre in a match that had to be temporarily suspended because of crowd unrest.
Rene Girard's team went into the game needing just one point to guarantee themselves the Ligue 1 championship but they fell behind to an Olivier Kapo header 20 minutes in.
John Utaka levelled the scores as he got on the end of Souleymane Camara's low cross to bundle home from close range 12 minutes later.
The start of the second half was delayed as home supporters - angry at their side's relegation - threw tennis balls, toilet paper and tomatoes onto the pitch to force the players back inside the tunnel.
The game was restarted five minutes behind schedule but it was suspended again midway through the second half as fans demonstrated once more.
However, Referee Said Ennjimi finally managed to restore some sort of calm and, 14 minutes from the end, Utaka collected a loose ball in the penalty area and struck a ferocious left-footed shot that beat Olivier Sorin in a flash and earned Montpellier a deserved victory.
Robert Summerscales
