Football
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer 8y

Argentina 'friendly' turns violent between Estudiantes and Gimnasia

Mere days after a preseason fixture between Boca Juniors and River Plate featured five red cards and Carlos Tevez being head-butted, another Argentinian game has had to be prematurely halted due to an outbreak of anarchic violence.

La Plata rivals Estudiantes and Gimnasia managed to get through 55 minutes of their match -- nominally a "friendly" although officially part of the Copa Ciudad de la Plata tournament -- in relatively civil fashion, right up until the point that Alvaro Pereira walloped Facundo Oreja in the side of the head with a flying karate kick.

The incident, which saw Oreja knocked unconscious and subsequently taken to hospital, stoked the flames as the encounter became gradually more and more violent.

However, the real crescendo didn't come until the 93rd minute when a mass brawl broke out in the middle of the pitch, with kicks and punches flying in from players on both teams.

As the skirmish continued, the referee duly abandoned the match with just seconds left on the clock.

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