Barry Lewtas admitted he has spoken to his players after Liverpool's U19s were embroiled in a mass brawl immediately after their UEFA Youth League penalty shootout victory over FC Porto.
Forward Lewis Koumas was the only Liverpool player to be shown a red card after the final whistle, while the Portuguese outfit saw both Goncalo Ribeiro and Umaro Cande dismissed for their roles in the altercation.
With a place in the quarter-finals at stake for the winner, after goals from Jorge Meireles and Melkamu Frauendorf saw the sides level after 90 minutes, tensions soared during the shootout as players from both sides look to gain a psychological advantage over one another through a series of interactions. In particular, for rounds six and seven as the contest entered sudden death.
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After excellently dispatching Liverpool's sixth penalty to edge his side ahead, midfielder Luca Stephenson relished a brief exchange of words with Cande, who needed to score to extend the contest. The 18-year-old forward saw his effort cannon back off the crossbar which prompted wild celebrations from the 10 Liverpool players set on the halfway line.
As Doak, Bobby Clark and Co raced over to congratulate goalkeeper Harvey Davies, Koumas, who had been withdrawn in the second half, was one of a number of substitutes to make a beeline towards the crowd of celebrations by Davies' goal.
Cande, however, appeared to be aggrieved at the manner of Liverpool's celebrations and immediately took aim at members of Lewtas' squad which resulted in the remaining players, coaches and staff getting involved to try and quash the hostility between the two sides.
Referee Helgi Mikael Jonasson and his officials were quick to recognise goalkeeper Ribeiro and Cande as two of the culprits and instantly brandished red cards in the pair's direction.
After about 25 seconds of tussling, a blood-stained Doak, who was on the receiving end of some pretty strong challenges throughout the night, was the first member of Liverpool's squad to emerge from the scuffle and was chaperoned by captain Dominic Corness. The young Scot had been booked by Jonasson in the first half for a late challenge and shortly after received another talking to by the official for his objection to the way the game was being supervised.
Corness, who had been promoted to the team's captain in the absence of Jarell Quansah who joined Bristol Rovers last month, expertly negotiated the situation as he shielded his team-mates from the antics of the Porto players who were understandably left bitter in the manner of which their Youth League campaign had concluded.
While it was increasingly challenging for Lewtas to provide any insight into the situation when speaking to reporters just minutes after the full-time whistle, he admitted it was a shame to see such a compelling tie marred by such unsavoury scenes.
"Whether there was a little bit of antagonising I don't know," said Lewtas "It would be really unfair for me to comment. It was a shame the way it went. I could sense from the bench that a few things went against them (Porto) it could go a certain way.
"Sometimes you have 30-odd young boys there and it can spill over. It was a bit disappointing because it looked like the playground a little bit towards the end. And I don't think our performance replicated that.
"Listen, I've just spoken to the players then. We spoke about the way they behave on the way across [from the pitch to the changing rooms]. I think once you do settle down and the emotion comes out, you can behave in a certain way. I think the lads have calmed down and gone in.
"Obviously, I saw what was happening and it wasn't the best scenes but at the same time, I don't know what happened. And I think sometimes when players do run and celebrate at the end of a penalty shootout players can come together."
As it stands, in accordance with UEFA regulations, Koumas will miss Liverpool's quarter-final tie against Sporting CP later this month and will serve a one-match suspension for his red card. However, there is the possibility the forward misses more than one game, should the young Reds progress in Lisbon, with UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body authorised to extend the punishment for any red cards shown for 'serious offences'.
At this moment in time, though, it remains to be seen whether UEFA will open an investigation into the post-match scenes on Wednesday night.
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