"It's sadder to have lost Mathieu than the match. To have lost Mathieu under these conditions, here in Mayol, it hurts us a lot. Both knees have been affected, I can't tell you more. Both knees , it's very rare. With all the efforts he has made, it hurts us a lot for him. It doesn't smell very good. "It's sad! He wanted to play a good game for the team," railed Lyon coach Pierre Mignoni.
After four minutes of play, Bastareaud collapsed, all alone, on a support, in the midfield on an attempt to break through.
Visibly hit in the right knee, the Lyon captain screamed in pain before being evacuated on a stretcher.
The former international (33 years old, 54 selections between 2009 and 2019) received a standing ovation from the Toulon public, whose colors he wore between 2011 and 2019.
Mathieu Bastareaud evacuated from the field on a stretcher after being injured on the Toulon field, November 27, 2021 Nicolas TUCAT AFP
"It smelled bad on the pitch because he seemed to be in pain. We will have more information in the coming days but it looks pretty serious. He was keen to come back and finish this season" , also confided the third international line of Lyon, Dylan Cretin.
Bastareaud has played only one meeting this season, in early November against Castres.
He had been operated on on his right hand in September after an eight-month absence due to a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his left knee.
© 2021 AFP