Porto vs Sporting Lisbon match ends in 40-man brawl and 5 red cards

Primeira Liga match in Portugal between Porto and Sporting Lisbon ends in a 40-man brawl with 5 red cards

A fiercely contested Primeira Liga match in Portugal on Friday, February 11, between Porto and Sporting Lisbon ended in a mass brawl involving around 40 people, including the ballboys.

Sporting had travelled to the Estadio do Dragao in Porto with the intention of closing the gap on their rivals at the top of the table. A two-goal lead was wiped out when Mehdi Taremi headed home in the 78th minute.
Porto had been helped by the 49th-minute dismissal of Sporting’s Uruguayan captain, Sebastian Coates, as the former Liverpool player picked up his second yellow.
It stayed level as the match went headed into nine minutes of added time. Portuguese international legend Pepe threw himself at a ball in the Porto penalty area, and a high boot from Joao Palhinha possibly connected with his head. Either way, Pepe went down rolling and writhing on the floor, as play continued without him.
One minute later, João Pedro Pinheiro blew the final whistle and suddenly all hell broke loose. At least 40 people got involved in the mayhem that continued for a good five minutes.
Sporting’s Joao Palhinha and Bruno Tabata were red-carded, along with Porto’s Agustin Marchesin, and finally, Pepe saw red too, as he failed to calm down. More retrospective action could follow once the Portuguese football authorities have reviewed footage of the incredible scenes.
An unbeaten Porto stay top of the league due to the draw, with Sporting six points adrift, and a tricky Champions League tie coming up next Tuesday 15 against English champions Manchester City, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

Five minutes of ABSOLUTE CHAOS to end a thriller between Porto and Sporting 🤯😳

Pepe received one of three red cards shown after the final whistle, as carnage broke out between both sets of players and staff.

The Dragons extend their unbeaten run to 50 matches! 🔵👏 pic.twitter.com/i0F2Dmf1Dh

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 11, 2022

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