Club Brugge vs Fiorentina: Europa Conference League game halted by fans incident

A Europa Conference League clash between Club Brugge and Fiorentina was briefly paused mid-match due to the behaviour of the fans at Jan Breydel Stadium. Brugge faced off against the Italian outfit in a close-fought encounter, which ultimately saw Fiorentina reach the final for a second consecutive year after a 4-3 win on aggregate across two legs.

Maxim de Cuyper fired Brugge ahead on the 20 minute mark of the second leg to send the home crowd into pandemonium as they chased a place in their first European final since 1978. The clash remained on a knife edge as it reached half time.

But nerves were jangling even more seconds after the restart when the ref was forced to halt the action.

Hordes of fireworks and flares had been lit by home supporters during the break as the Belgian champions attempted to get the party started.  However, that caused a huge cloud of smoke to fill the Jan Breydel Stadium - making conditions unplayable for those on the field.

The ref paused proceedings just after kicking off the second half, leading to him blowing his whistle for a short break as he waited for the smoke to clear. Three minutes later, just as the game was about to start again, fans set off further flares leading to a longer delay.

The Belgian side suffered the heartache of a late setback in the 85th minute when Lucas Beltran converted an 85th minute penalty for Fiorentina. That was enough to secure their place in the final for the second season running, and the club's sixth European one, as they look to right the wrongs from last season's loss to West Ham.

The winner of tonight’s clash between Aston Villa and Olympiakos will advance into the final at the AEK Arena in Athens, Greece. Aston Villa last European triumph came in 1982 when they defeated Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in the Netherlands.