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On a dark day for France as a series of explosions instilled fear across the nation, their national football team beat Germany 2-0 at the Stade de France. The result, however, was overshadowed by the huge number of lives lost in the attacks in Paris, including outside the stadium itself.
Initial reports from the AFP have put the death toll at 120 in a series of coordinated attacks across the French capital. Three locations bore the brunt of the reported jihadist strikes as attackers stormed the Stade de France, Le Cambodge and the deadliest of the three, a concert at Le Bataclan.
The crowd celebrating a glorious night of football as Les Bleus won through goals from Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac were shocked with sounds of explosions during the first half. Only later would news filter in that about 5 people had died as a suicide bomber struck at the Rue Jules Rimet outside the stadium that held the 1998 World Cup final.
After the match, terrified supporters would run onto the pitch in fear that the attack would breach the stadium. The German national team who had earlier been evacuated from their hotel due to a bomb scare would be stunned by this news and would be held at the stadium along with their French peers for their own safety.
French president Francois Hollande who was at the match would also be evacuated in a hurry after the initial reports of attacks in Le Cambodge and Le Bataclan where apart from bombs, gunmen were seen shooting at people screaming “Allahu akbar” and seemed to blame France’s intervention in Syria for the jihadist attacks.
The attack on Le Bataclan theatre which was hosting a rock concert was the bloodiest as attackers rained bullets on the crowd, before the police could kill 4 of the attackers in that location. AFP were informed that 5 attackers were ‘neutralised’ in total.
A popular Cambodian restaurant near the theatre in Central Paris, called La Cambodge was also attacked by gunmen as further deaths were reported there as well.
In a message through the television, Francois Hollande addressed his nation before declaring a state of emergency. He said: “"Terrorist attacks of an unprecedented level are underway across the Paris region, It's a horror.”
Everyone across the world is currently showing solidarity with Paris in their time of crisis, sportspersons and others alike have taken to social media to express themselves in light of the dark events that unfolded last evening.
