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An Australian soccer match came to an early end after fans violently invaded the pitch, resulting in an ugly scene that culminated in injuries to a goalkeeper and a referee.
During the A-Leagues Melbourne Derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory on Saturday, fans from both sides planned on staging a joint-walkout in the 20th minute of the match to protest the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) decision to sell hosting rights to the leagues’ men’s and women’s grand finals to Sydney for the next three years. Fans of both clubs began throwing flares onto the AAMI Park field before making their exits, after having already launched projectiles onto the pitch following an 11th minute goal.
