Former Newcastle United star beats Ex-Sunderland man’s side in crucial promotion match

A Paris reigon derby saw Red Star FC win 3-0 away at Versailles on at the Stade Michel Hidaglo on Tuesday evening in a crucial match in the Championnat National promotion race. Red Star are managed by former Newcastle United right-back Habib Beye while Versailles’ star player is former Sunderland winger Jeremain Lens.

Hacène Benali put Red Star 1-0 ahead in the first half before two stoppage time goals from Issouf Macalou and Kemo Cisse put the result beyond doubt.

Ahead of the match both teams sat level on points, five outside of the automatic promotion places to Ligue 2. Red Star were fourth ahead of Versailles in fifth on goal difference.

Tuesday night’s match was their game in hand on the three teams above them - Martigues, Concarneau and Dunkerque - who are separated by just a single point. And Red Star’s win has cut the gap to just two points with just three games remaining leaving Versailles five points adrift.

The Tyne-Wear connection may be tenuous, but it’s interesting to see how the career paths of former players have unfolded.

Lens joined Sunderland from Dynamo Kyiv in 2015 for £8million and went on to make 24 appearances for the club, scoring four times before being loaned out to Turkish sides Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, the latter of which he joined permanently.

Now 35, the former Netherlands international finds himself plying his trade in the French third tier.

Red Star manager Habib Beye made over 50 appearances for Newcastle between 2007 and 2009 before joining Aston Villa. The right-back was named as United’s player of the season in his first campaign at the club but was part of the squad that was relegated to the Championship the following year.