Genoa fans watch in silence for 43 minutes in honour of bridge collapse victims

The motorway bridge which links Genoa to Southern France collapsed on August 14 during the busy lunch rush, killing 43 people.

The match between Genoa and Empoli was the first in the Luigi Ferraris stadium since the disaster.

The whole crowd observed a minutes silence before the beginning of the game, followed by an applause for the victims relatives who were invited onto the pitch.

The silence continued after the start of the game, with the shouts of the players echoing around the stadium.

In a statement given by the club before the game, they said that the fans has asked for: "a deafening silence of 43 minutes, one for each child, worker, student, father or mother who are no longer with us today."

Even when Genoa scored in the first 20 minutes, there was almost no celebration in the crowd.

In minute 43, victims names were displayed on the big screens, and the crowd began singing and shouting as usual, which continued for the rest of the game.

Genoa went on to win the match 2-1.