Football fans were shocked on Wednesday evening, as the second leg of Manchester City's Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid descended into chaos.
Police were forced to separate the two teams at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium after an ill-tempered game and disgraceful brawl in the tunnel. City progressed thanks to a 1-0 aggregate win and will play Atletico's local rivals Real Madrid in the last four.
Here, Mirror Football gives an overview of what happened in the Spanish capital on Wednesday evening and why the tense tie finished with police separating Atletico's finest talents and various England stars, including Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish.
Tense night in Manchester
Atletico often push their rivals to the limit with an array of questionable tackles, cheeky digs and extreme theatricals. Under manager Diego Simeone, they've split the popular opinion. Some love their commitment to the cause, while others label them a "disgrace".
So, after drawing Atletico in the quarter-finals, Pep Guardiola's side knew they were facing a stern test. The first leg in Manchester played out as expected. City won 1-0 at the Etihad thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne goal - set up by Phil Foden - yet it was a tight affair.
And it's fair to say Atletico aggravated City. Grealish was targeted by the Spanish champions, pulling his famous locks to get a reaction from the £100million man. He did well not to pander to their demands. Guardiola was thankful to escape with a lead.
Felipe lays one on Foden
City would've been even more nervous ahead of Wednesday evening's game, heading into a caldron in the Spanish capital. Around 60,000 Atletico supporters - not to mention Simeone's tough side - aimed to intimidate Guardiola's men out of the tournament.
After his excellent performance in the first leg, Foden was targeted by Atletico defender Felipe. The Brazilian came steaming through the back of Foden as they went up for a header. The Englishman was left with a bloody head, while Felipe received a yellow card.
"He [Felipe] knows that ball isn't his," said former England manager Glenn Hoddle on commentary. "Foden is always going to be the favourite."
It was a sign of things to come...
What did you make of Wednesday evening's events? Let us know in the comments below!
Atletico's frustration grows
It's easy to see why it all kicked off when you consider the amount of chances the hosts missed. Joao Felix wasted a header, Antoine Griezmann fluffed a half-volley, Rodrigo De Paul failed to hit the target and Matheus Cunha saw his effort deflected wide.
But the most frustrating moment for Atletico was their denied penalty shout. Joao Cancelo appeared to foul Angel Correa in the box, yet the incident wasn't referred to VAR and nothing came of it. "I think they've [City] got away with one there," said Hoddle.
Simeone's side were reaching boiling point...
Felipe's kick triggers WW3
It all kicked off in the 89th minute, just after Atletico missed another golden chance. Former Barcelona and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was presented with a great opportunity to poke home an equaliser, yet he missed the ball.
Possession broke to Foden, who did brilliantly to sprint from his own half to the corner flag before an inch perfect tackle from Felipe. Despite cleanly winning the ball, Felipe decided to spin and kick out at Foden. It was a cynical offence that deserved a straight red.
Understandably, Foden started rolling around on the floor in agony. At which point, former City defender Stefan Savic runs over and tries to drag the Englishman back to his feet - even though he could've suffered an injury from Felipe's needless swipe.
City substitute Oleksandr Zinchenko sees Savic running towards Foden and does well to protect his team-mate. Seconds later, everyone gets involved. Savic headbutts Raheem Sterling during the brawl, but incredibly escapes with just a yellow card.
Grealish, meanwhile, approaches Savic to let him know his thoughts. He appears to call the defender a "c***". Savic reacts immediately, pulling Grealish's hair. Bizarrely, his locks were pulled more times than goals were scored during the two-legged tie.
German referee Daniel Siebert then shows Felipe a second yellow card. The Brazilian reacts, grabbing the official's arm before another four Atletico players crowd around Siebert. UEFA are likely to punish Savic and Atletico for their actions.
Police forced to end chaos
After the game ended goalless and City's progression was confirmed, both sets of players made their way down the tunnel at the same time. It was a bad idea in hindsight, yet no one inside the ground predicted the ill-tempered affair would spill over.
The first row was between Grealish and Savic, who were shouting at each other while others kept them apart. The Englishman appeared to be smiling as the argument unfolded and it's unclear how things ended as they walked past the camera.
Just seconds later, however, the rest of the players appeared and a brawl kicked off when Atletico defender Sime Vrsaljko launched what appeared to be a pair of goalkeeping gloves at the City players. He then appeared to make a spitting motion towards a member of City's entourage - yet it's unclear if he actually spat. Neither team has alleged this.
Walker reacted to Vrsaljko's actions and was held back by Ederson. The players were separated by a barrier until they got to the dressing rooms, where police were forced to intervene to keep them apart. The footage ended with many facts remaining unknown.
Reaction to the drama
Guardiola was reluctant to discuss the chaos. "Everyone saw the action, but I have nothing to say," said the Spaniard. John Stones, however, did open up. "We knew it was not an easy place to come - it is a hostile environment," he told BT Sport.
"It was a difficult night all round and how we defended and controlled ourselves over the two legs was incredible. We know that they sometimes try to make things happen like that and we dealt with it really well.
"It is not nice to talk about and I don't want to dwell on it because over the two legs we played incredibly against such an experienced side in what they do; we kept our tempers."
Premier League winner Chris Sutton said: "It turned ugly at the end, we talked about the dark arts, but City saw it through. They were pushed, they were tested all the way... Felipe cost them [Atletico] and it was buffoonery at the highest level."
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand added: "Distasteful behaviour from the Atletico players, they should be embarrassed with some of the antics they have gone on with... some of the stuff towards the end was not what you want to see on a football pitch."
And former England international Owen Hargreaves said: That, at the end, from Atletico Madrid was a disgrace. They played so well in the game, they don't need all that rubbish, all those antics - late challenges, yellow cards, red cards, pulling hair."
Atletico captain Koke, meanwhile, was bullish when questioned. He accused City of timewasting - saying they "threw themselves on the ground" - before adding: "Many times we are Atlético who are criticised and today we are proud of what the team has done."
Lastly, Neil Warnock slammed Atletico and even praised the referee. "For football, it was a blessing they got knocked out," he told talkSPORT. "I know I have a reputation on the sidelines but I've never been as bad as Simeone on the touchline last night.
"Deary me... "I know you will laugh at me when I say it, I'm the biggest critic of the referees - I think it was unrefereeable if there's such a word in the last 20 minutes - I thought he did brilliant me." When even Warnock is saying that, you know it was a bizarre evening.
