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- Uruguay players clashed with Colombian fans in the crowd after the semi-final
- Players insisted they stepped in to defend their families amid the crowd trouble
Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was spotted throwing bottles into the crowd amid an extraordinary post-match brawl after Uruguay were dumped out of the Copa America on Wednesday night.
Uruguay players took matters into their own hands just minutes after their 1-0 semi-final defeat against Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Liverpool‘s Darwin Nunez, alongside team-mates including Jose Gimenez and Ronald Araujo, were among those to jump into the crowd as scenes turned ugly after the final whistle.
Gimenez said on TV after the incident that the players’ families – sitting in close proximity to the fans – were ‘avalanched’ by drunken supporters, and that they’d stepped in to defend them.
‘This is an embarrassment, there wasn’t one police officer to control them. We had to go and defend our own just because they can’t control their drinking,’ he said.
New footage has shown Bentancur throwing two bottles into the crowd amid the unsavoury scenes in Charlotte.
One bottle thrown by Bentancur appeared to hit a member of Uruguay’s own staff, who had jumped into the crowd.
The footage also showed Bentancur being ushered away from the crowd trouble by staff in the stadium, after he had thrown a second bottle into the stands.
Bentancur had earlier been forced off with an injury during the semi-final clash after colliding with team-mate Mathias Olivera as the pair attempted sliding tackles to win the ball.
The Tottenham midfielder sustained the blow in the 24th minute and indicated 10 minutes later that he needed to be substituted.
Bentancur was not the only Premier League star involved in the incident, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez among those to have jumped into the stands amid the crowd trouble.
Nunez sprung into action after a man in a black polo shirt with a credential around his neck began punching a nearby Colombia fan, after a drink was flung.
The Liverpool forward was seen consoling his baby daughter on the field after the fight.
Some supporters could also be heard screaming as the unsavoury scenes unfolded nearby.
Uruguay players Maximiliano Araujo and Sebastian Caceres were also among those spotted near the fans.
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The families of Uruguay players were then escorted out of the stadium through a different exit to ensure their safety, according to reporter Favian Renkel.
Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa was asked about the scenes after the match, and said he ‘didn’t see everything.’
‘I went to the locker room…the Uruguayan players were thanking the Uruguayan fans for their support,’ he continued.
The skirmish followed a hotly-contested match which saw Colombia just barely hold on to a one-goal lead to advance to the Copa America final vs. Argentina.
Within a fiery atmosphere at Bank of America Stadium, Colombia saw a man sent off, both teams levied some extremely heavy tackles on each other and James Rodriguez was booked after furiously protesting with the referee.
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Munoz was given his marching orders after receiving two yellows in the first half, the second of which saw him elbow Manuel Ugarte.
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz was also hacked down on several occasions, while Uruguay drew the ire of their opponents when they refused to stop playing with Richard Rios crumpled in the far corner.
He was eventually stretchered off after trying to continue.
Eventually, Colombia ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a Jefferson Lerma header, and they will play Lionel Messi and Argentina in Sunday’s final in Miami.