“Absolute bedlam” plagued the start of a Euros clash as water poured from the stadium roof and fans brawled in wild scenes.
The start of the game between Turkey and tournament debutants Georgia was threatened when a deluge struck Germany’s Westfalenstadion.
Luckily organisers were able to contain the water and get the match underway.
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But fans grew restless before kick-off, and objects were thrown between sections of the crowd.
Security had to do their best to keep rival supporters separate as fans scrambled to get their hands on one another.
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It was an ugly scene at what had so far been a largely peaceful and inicdent-free Euros.
Images from earlier in the tournament showed rival supporters jokingly taunting each other by breaking pasta and baguettes in front of Italian and French fans.
Former Socceroos player Craig Foster says while it can get carried away, generally it is what makes such an event so special.
“The fan culture at World Cups and Euros, and even Copa Americas and all around the world, is just beautiful to see,” Foster told Nine’s Today.
“And Aussies, when we get over for these tournaments, we just love it.
“Of course they rib each other and have a tremendous amount of fun.
“You can have some problems as well of course, we shouldn’t deny that. But that atmosphere would be incredible there.”
On the pitch it was Turkey who got the better of their less experienced European rivals.
With Kylian Mbappe about to join a throng of attacking superstars at Real Madrid, Arda Guler faces an even tougher fight to break through at Europe’s top team.
But the Turkish teenager might just succeed on the evidence of his explosive debut in international tournament football.
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The 19-year-old Guler enhanced his reputation as one of Europe’s brightest young talents by curling home a brilliant second-half goal to help Turkey beat Georgia 3-1 in a European Championship thriller.
Guler brought a strong end to his first season at Real Madrid to the Euros by cutting in from the right and bending a fierce shot into the top corner in the 65th minute, regaining the lead for Turkey at 2-1 to become the youngest ever debut scorer at the Euros — surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo from 2004.
Substitute Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored a breakaway goal in the final seconds of stoppage time for Turkey’s third, settling a back-and-forth Group F match in Dortmund which featured fan disorder before kickoff and was played in the most febrile and intense atmosphere.
This was a nation-stopping moment for Georgia, a South Caucasus country of 3.7 million people that is making its debut in an international tournament since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, amid protests and political turmoil back home.
– with AP