Hearts in Spain: Friendly match between Hearts and Almeria abandoned after mass brawl breaks out

Hearts’ winter friendly with Almeria was abandoned in the 38th minute after a mass brawl broke out between players from both sides.

Alex Cochrane and Rodrigo Ely were each shown a red card for their part in the melee before head coach Robbie Neilson decided to take his players off, fearing the game could boil over even further.

The game at the Estadio Jose Burgos had a certain amount of needle throughout, but few could have anticipated what would occur.

Alejandro Pozo jumped into Cochrane while the pair contested a high ball. The left-back then chased down his opponent and gave a little kick from behind. Pozo reacted angrily before Ely came charging over and clattered Cochrane to the deck. It was at this point that all hell broke loose with players from both teams, particularly Arron Darge and Samú Costa in the thick of it.

The La Liga side had been winning 1-0 thanks to Dyego Sousa’s 28th-minute goal.

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