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Lyon's multi-million pound stars were left fearing for their lives on Sunday when their plane malfunctioned on the way back from Auxerre.
Having gone top of the League with a 2-0 win in Burgundy, Gérard Houllier and his players will have been feeling pleased with their day’s work as they made their way home on a private jet.
But as the plane landed at Lyon-Bron airport at one o’clock on Sunday night, disaster almost struck.
One of the tyres burst on impact with the runway, causing the plane to leap back into the air before completing a haphazard landing.
With smoke pouring out from the undercarriage, Lyon players were seen sprinting down the stairway in a state of panic as the emergency services arrived on the scene.
A passenger confirmed that certain players were screaming: “We’re going to crash! We’re going to crash!” before the plane came to a halt.
Sidney Govou appeared to panic more than most, while Juninho Pernambucano sat silently and started to pray. Govou was reportedly running in circles in a state of panic - and not because his agent is reportedly lining up a move for him to Tottenham Hotspur.
The plane was still stuck on the tarmac on Monday, though the airline company Airlinair insisted that it would soon be flying again.
“The Lyon players were a bit shaken up because of the problems with the undercarriage,” commented Airlinair’s managing director Lionel Guérin.
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