Cesc Fabregas' Como players involved in mass brawl with Real Betis stars as pre-season clash descends into chaos after ex-Premier League hero appears to PUNCH opponent
A number of stars were involved in the shocking altercation in which punches were thrown after Betis' Pablo Fornals and Como midfielder Maximo Perrone came to blows at the end of the first period.
The former West Ham star appeared to punch Perrone, with the Argentine then trying strike the 29-year-old.
Betis and Como players rushed over to intervene, before many of them also ended up in grappling matches of their own.
Amid a chaos, a moment of levity occurred when Betis striker Cucho Hernandez made contact with his team-mate Natan with a flying right hook after failing to land his blow on a Como star.
Despite landing the blow that sparked the unrest, Fornals remarkably avoided a red card, while Perrone and former Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin, whose increasingly animated protestations to the official landed him in hot water, were given their marching orders by the referee at the Estadio Municipal de La Linea de la Concepcion.
Como led the clash 2-0 when the fighting broke out at half-time but Betis fought back to level the match at 2-2 before Ivan Azon's stoppage-time winner ensured victory for Cesc Fabregas ' side.
Wednesday's clash could have lasting consequences for both sides as they near the start of their domestic seasons.
The actions of the likes of Bellerin, Fournals and Cucho could result in suspension for the start of the new campaign. All three players are bonafide starters for Manuel Pellegrini, whose side take on newly promoted Elche on the opening matchday of the season.
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