Hearts-Almeria friendly abandoned due to first-half brawl

A friendly between Almeria and Hearts was abandoned on Sunday after a first-half brawl involving each groups.

Almeria have been main 1-0 within the thirty ninth minute on the Jose Burgos stadium, outdoors Malaga, Spain, when referee Javier Sanchez Carreras suspended the match.

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A late problem by Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane on Almeria’s Alejandro Pozo precipitated the Spanish group’s Rodrigo Ely to intervene and push Cochrane to the bottom. That sparked an altercation involving each units of gamers as teaching employees and officers tried to restore order.

Cochrane and Ely have been despatched off earlier than the choice was taken to convey the friendly to a untimely finish.

“It was a very competitive game,” Hearts manager Robbie Neilson told Hearts TV.

“All of a sudden on the far side there was a tackle from Alex [Cochrane]. I thought it was just a standard tackle, and then all hell broke loose, with their players running around, a forearm smash from their centre-half on Alex.

“The ref completely misplaced management of it. The benches have been over and there have been about 60 folks on the pitch. It was only a little bit of a shambles. We felt it is a preseason recreation, we have already acquired accidents, there is no level carrying on as a result of tensions have been extraordinarily excessive, to say the least.”

“There’s all the time going to be a aggressive edge however there is a line that may’t be crossed,” Neilson added. “I feel they crossed it a number of instances. The referee simply did not have any management, he was everywhere in the store. We could not get the sport going once more so we simply felt what is the level.”

Forward Dyego Sousa had put Almeria ahead in the 28th minute — after earlier having a penalty saved — before the game was called off.

“The red-and-whites have been successful, however an unpleasant problem from a Scottish participant led to the referee’s choice, on the opponent’s request,” Almeria said in a statement.

Almeria are 14th in LaLiga with the division on maintain for the World Cup, whereas Hearts are fifth within the Scottish Premiership.