Czech cup final riots: Fans of Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen storm pitch after European football final

Chaos descended upon the Czech cup final between Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday, May 22 - after the game had concluded, fans of both sets of teams rushed onto the pitch and began fighting amongst themselves.

Players from the two teams were quickly escorted through the tunnel as the situation rapidly escalated. Stewards could do little to stem the tide of supporters as they made beelines for one another, tackling rivals fans to the ground and aiming wild punches at whoever they could find. Even with police intervention, fans continued to fight.

Perhaps the most shocking incident was broadcasted live on Czech TV. Three pundits were doing pitch side analysis after the game had ended - a stool was thrown at them, followed by a second which caught one of them in the face.

At the referee’s final whistle, Sparta Prague were declared the winners of the Czech cup after beating Plzen by a score of 2-1. They opened the scoring in the 79th minute when Sampson Dweh turned the ball into his own net - only for Tomas Chory to level the scores just eight minutes later.

The game looked to be headed for extra time and penalties - however, a late goal from Veljko Birmancevic ensured that Sparta would take home the trophy. Additionally, Pavel Sulc was also sent off late on for Plzen.

The two teams are due to play each other once again on Sunday, May 26, in the final game of the Czech league. Thankfully, it is unlikely to be as bad-tempered as the cup final was - Sparta are already at the top of the table 86 points, putting them four points ahead of local rivals Slavia Prague. Plzen, meanwhile, having nothing to play for - whatever the result is on Sunday, they will remain in third place.