BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Copa del Rey derby match between Real Betis and Sevilla has been suspended after an object thrown from the stands hit Sevilla player Joan Jordán in the head on Saturday.
The oblong, bar-like object hit Jordán as Betis celebrated Nabil Fekir’s 39th-minute equalizer that canceled out Papu Gómez’s opener at the Benito Villamarín stadium.
Jordán fell immediately, clutching his head. He recovered quickly but was helped off the pitch just before referee Ricardo de Burgos ordered the teams to follow him.
After waiting over 20 minutes, play was officially suspended.
While this decision was being made, police were seen in the area of the stands where the object apparently came from.
The Seville derby is known to be Spain‘s most heated inter-city rivalry. In 2007, Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was hit in the head by a bottle thrown by a Betis fan.
Fekir set the tone just seconds after kick-off when he stomped on Gómez’s foot, earning the Betis striker a booking.
But the incident that injured Jordán tarnished a lively competition. Betis dominated the opening phase, only for Gómez to drill in a shot from the edge of the box to put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute.
Fekir responded with an incredible goal straight from a corner, bending a powerful corner flag strike over the head of goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor, who grabbed the ball but couldn’t hold it back.
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