Paris, March 28: A football friendly between Ivory Coast and Senegal had to be called off early as fans from both sides invaded the pitch in southern Paris.

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After numerous pitch invasions occurred on Monday, March 27, in the Charlety stadium, French referee Tony Chapron was forced to put an early end to the match in the 88th minute when the two teams drew 1-1, reports Xinhua news agency.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane converted the penalty into a lead for Senegal in the 67th minute but Cyriac Gohi Bi tied the game four minutes later.

Marc Wilmots, former head coach of Belgium, watched the game to get better knowledge about Ivory Coast as preparation for his coaching job since April 1.

Ivory Coast sit atop Group C in 2018 World Cup African qualifiers, which will resume in August, with four points from two games. Senegal are placed third in Group D, one point adrift Burkina Faso and South Africa.

IANS