RUBBER BULLETS were fired and bottles thrown at riot police as Sporting Lisbon’s title celebrations descended into shocking violence.
Fans were celebrating their first title in 19 years after the Portuguese outfit pipped Porto to the title with a 1-0 win over Boavista – but the party turned into a war zone.
Sporting fans gathered outside the stadium ahead of the match where their heroes were playing inside.
Cars honked their horns and supporters let off flares and waved flags as they celebrated their first league title since 2002.
Paulinho scored the only goal of the game – giving his team the lead in the 36th minute.
And after the final whistle, joy spread across the city’s Sporting fans.
Thousands gathered in Lisbon’s main square Marques do Pombal where the players’ open top bus trophy parade passed through.
But when some broke down metal barriers keeping them at bay, police got involved.
Riot police fired rubber bullets and used batons as they attempted to control the crowd.
Several fans were injured and had to be treated in ambulances that rushed to the scene.
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Some supporters were seen hurling glass bottles towards police and watching journalists.
Cops had previously warned against gathering in large groups with spokesperson Domingos Antunes saying he hoped the celebration would not turn into a ‘nightmare’.
After the game, Portugal captain and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo took to Instagram to congratulate the team where he started his career.
He shared a picture of the team and wrote: “Congratulations champions!”
Ronaldo has recently been linked with an emotional return to Sporting with Juventus reportedly ready to sell this summer.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
