Fenerbahce were forced off the pitch minutes into the second leg of their Europa League play-off tie against Anderlecht on Thursday.
Jose Mourinho’s side were 3-0 up after the first leg in Turkey last week – and things got off to the perfect start in the return game as Youssef En-Nesyri scored in the fourth minute.
However, moments after the goal, the match was suspended following an incident.
It was initially unclear what caused the halt to the game as TNT Sports’ live coverage of the clash pointed to a security issue.
Both teams headed back to the dressing room, although the fans at Anderlecht’s Lotto Park Stadium remained in their seats.
News subsequently emerged the match had been suspended after fights broke out in the stands, with a delay of 15 minutes initially announced.
Fenerbahce’s Europa League game against Anderlecht was suspended minutes into the game
Jose Mourinho’s side were forced off the pitch after fights broke out inside the stadium
Some players rushed over to where the trouble was, but were then pulled away by team-mates
Clips circulating on social media showed brawls breaking out in one area of the ground between rival sets of supporters.
Both teams headed over to where the trouble was to try and defuse the incident, including former Manchester United star Fred and ex-QPR winger Bright Osayi-Samuel, but others tried to pull them away from the trouble.
Osayi-Samuel went the closest to the chaos and even appeared to urge security staff to intervene, before Milan Skriniar dragged him away from the area.
Riot police then rushed into the stands to deal with the trouble, while stewards also did what they could after warnings were displayed on the stadium’s big screen urging fans to behave themselves.
Referee Sandro Schaerer ordered both sets of players to the centre of the pitch when he made the decision to pause the game and send them back to the dressing room.
Thankfully, after a delay of around 15 minutes, the players were able to return to action and continue the game.
En-Nesyri’s goal had come after a disastrous error from Anderlecht defender Lucas Hey as his back pass was intercepted by Edin Dzeko before he teed up the Moroccan striker.
However, Luis Vazquez levelled soon after the restart following another defensive blunder as both Skriniar and Fenerbahce goalkeeper Irfan Egribayat were involved in a mix-up.
Warnings had been displayed on the stadium’s big screen urging fans to behave themselves
Riot police were forced to intervene as they attempted to defuse the dramatic incident
Bright Osayi-Samuel (No 21) had gone closest to the crowd trouble before he was pulled away
Osayi-Samuel’s attempted intervention in the troubles comes after he bravely fought back at Trabzonspor fans who had invaded the pitch following a clash with Fenerbahce last season.
In the aftermath of a Super Lig game in March – which Fenerbahce won – violent scenes unfolded as Trabzonspor supporters confronted opposing players.
The incident had begun when a lone individual evaded stewards and ran directly towards Fenerbahce’s stars in the centre of the pitch where they were celebrating their victory.
As they moved ever closer to the players without being intercepted by security, Osayi-Samuel tried to protect himself.
The 26-year-old could be seen raining down punches on his would-be attacker, as his team-mates and members of staff rushed to his aid.
From that point on the situation evolved even further as scores of fans began to make their way beyond the barricades, rushing directly onto the pitch.
Footage at the time showed another supporter sprinting towards former Chelsea and Crystal Palace star Michy Batshuayi.
Taking action the Belgian forward launched into a spinning heel kick, connecting with the supporter, which caused others to quickly disperse.
Play was suspended for around 15 minutes before referee Sandro Schaerer resumed the action
Osayi-Samuel’s attempted intervention comes after he fought back at Trabzonspor fans last season when they had invaded the pitch and tried to attack Fenerbahce’s players
The potential for serious harm to have been caused during the incident was made frighteningly clear when images on social media appeared to show a supporter brandishing a weapon during the ugly scenes.
Fenerbahce’s players were then shielded by security forces as they tried to get back into the sanctum of the changing rooms.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce’s 3-0 victory against Anderlecht in the first leg came thanks to goals from Dusan Tadic, Dzeko and En Nesyri.
Mourinho’s side are enjoying an impressive season, although they languish six points behind arch-rivals Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig despite winning 18 of their 23 league games.
Their squad includes several former Premier League stars such as Tadic, Dzeko, Fred, Caglar Soyuncu, Diego Carlos, Allan Saint-Maximin, Sofyan Amrabat and Cenk Tosun.
They went on to draw 2-2 in Belgium as Mourinho saw his team progress to the last-16 stage of the Europa League by virtue of a 5-2 aggregate victory.