Police made one arrest but say fan behaviour was generally good as Socceroos supporters gathered in Melbourne to watch Australia's World Cup match against Argentina this morning.
A crowd of around 15,000 people gathered at Federation Square to watch the game on the big screen.
Thousands more piled into Melbourne Rectangular Stadium to watch the Socceroos eventually go down 2-1 to Argentina. Other venues were also opened up to the public to watch the game.
Federation Square reached capacity around an hour before the game kicked off at 6am and police said some people began forcing their way into the venue.
Victoria Police said officers were forced to use capsicum spray on some fans who were trying to get in after the venue was full.
A 17-year-old boy from Mount Waverley was arrested for being drunk and one woman sustained minor injuries due to crowding at Federation Square.
Two people were taken to hospital with minor burns from flares, and two police officers were injured as people attempted to enter federation Square after it had reached capacity.
Police said the majority of the crowd behaved responsibly but a small number of people engaged in anti-social behaviour.
At one stage, fireworks were set off in the crowd and flares were thrown at the screen showing the game.
Firefighters were called to extinguish flares that were thrown onto a roof at Federation Square.
Australia lost the match 2-1 after Lionel Messi scored the opening goal for Argentina in the 35th minute.
Fans leaving the venue were largely satisfied with the performance by the Socceroos, with one supporter saying it was an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere at Federation Square.
"Very good to see Australia getting better at soccer but look you're playing against Messi so there's not much you can do at the end of the day," one supporter said.
"It's great, it makes you feel proud to be Australian. It's great for Australian culture, we'll just see how we go in the next couple of years."
Some fans stayed behind after the game had finished to help clean up the venue.
