Champions League match suspended after fan trouble in the crowd forces players off pitch
WATCH NOW: Paul Coyte discusses the latest sport headlines January 22 2025
The Champions League match between Feyenoord and Bayern Munich was suspended after less than two minutes of play on Wednesday night due to heavy smoke from fans' flares.
Players at De Kuip stadium were unable to see through the thick smoke, forcing the referee to halt proceedings almost immediately after kick-off.
The disruption came as supporters had set off flares in the stands, creating visibility issues that made it impossible for the match to continue safely.
The match had kicked off at 8pm at the Rotterdam stadium before the referee was forced to intervene.
Feyenoord fans stopped play after flares were lit in the home stands
TNT Sports
A seven-minute delay followed as officials waited for the smoke to clear sufficiently for play to resume.
The suspension came with Bayern Munich entering the fixture as strong favourites to secure victory in the Netherlands.
Players had to leave the pitch momentarily before the smoke cleared - though it appeared to disrupt Bayern's gameplan.
Despite entering as underdogs, Feyenoord took control of the match after play resumed.
Santiago Gimenez put the Dutch side ahead in the 21st minute to stun the German visitors.
The Mexican striker then doubled Feyenoord's advantage from the penalty spot deep into first-half stoppage time.
The hosts took their surprising 2-0 lead into the break, leaving Bayern Munich with significant work to do in the second half.
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Chaos in the stands at Feyenoord caused the match to be suspended
Reuters
Bayern Munich find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Champions League league phase, where they look likely to remain after a mixed campaign to date in Europe.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany is under pressure to win silverware for the German giants after a disappointing campaign last season.
Thomas Tuchel, now in charge of England, led the Bavarians last season - where they failed to win a single trophy.
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Vincent Kompany is under pressure to win trophies with Bayern
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That included the Bundesliga, having won it every season since 2012, with Bayer Leverkusen pipping them to the top after going unbeaten in the league.
Bayern also crashed out of the DFB-Pokal Cup early in the season and lost to Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.
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