Pitch invasions force abandonment of two games in Brazil

Two Brazilian soccer matches were abandoned before fulltime on Sunday after fans invaded the pitch.

A first division match between Ceara and Cuiaba in Fortaleza was suspended with the teams drawing 1-1 after the home fans tore down parts of the wire perimeter fencing and charged onto the pitch.

There was a similar situation in Recife, where Sport were hosting Vasco da Gama in a match between two of Brazil's most storied teams who are fighting for promotion to the first division.

In Fortaleza, angry Ceara supporters rushed onto the pitch and tried to attack players after they scored an equaliser in added time, having fallen behind minutes before against a Cuiaba side who were playing with 10-men.

With six games still to be played, both teams are fighting against relegation. Ceara are 16th in standings on 34 points, three points ahead Cuiaba.

Players from both teams ran from the field while the military police hit fans with batons as they tried to control the situation.

After several minutes, the referee decided that the players' safety could not be guaranteed and abandoned the match.

In Recife, Sport fans removed a gate in order to invade the pitch after Vasco's Raniel equalised from the penalty spot to level the score at 1-1 in added time, celebrating in-front of the home supporters.

The fans attacked the police, members from the fire department and even medical staff from an ambulance that was parked beside the pitch.

Most of the players ran from the field and, although the referee waited almost an hour in the hope of restarting the game, officials ruled that the players' safety could not be guaranteed and abandoned the match.

With three games still to be played, Vasco are fourth on 55 points, three ahead of Sport. Only the top four get promoted to Serie A.