Marcos Rojo grabbed a fire extinguisher as Boca Juniors players clashed with Atletico Mineiro players after their Copa Libertadores defeat

Surjit Patowary

All hell breaks loose after Boca Juniors get knocked out of Copa Libertadores

Atletico Mineiro, Boca Juniors, Copa Libertadores

Boca Juniors were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores after a loss on penalties to Atlético Mineiro.

The Argentinian side is considered to be one of the best teams in the continent, and hence it served as a major blow to the players when they lost to the Brazilian side on spot-kicks.

But instead of the match doing the headlines, the post-match scenes caught attention as all hell broke loose when the Boca Juniors players erupted in full-blown violence.

The first leg of the Copa Libertadores tie in Buenos Aires featured a Boca Juniors goal ruled out for offside, while the same fate was repeated in the second leg in a 0-0 draw at the Mineiro Stadium.

The decision was a debatable one to say the very least, triggering multiple clashes between players of both teams on the pitch as well – and it went on to continue in the dressing rooms after the tie ended goalless over both legs and Mineiro went on to edge it on penalties.

Frustrated with the below-par refereeing on display, the Boca Juniors took it upon themselves to fight it out with the match officials who had taken refuge inside the home dressing room.

To force their way in, the Boca players clashed with the opposition backroom staff and the police – who were forced to use tear gas to stop the conflict that turned to a brawl.

The exasperated Boca players used metal fences and barriers as weapons, while ex-Manchester United defender Marcus Rojo wielded a fire extinguisher as a weapon against the Brazilian police.

More footage showed the Boca players throwing up as they could not cope with the tear gas used by the police, while 17-year-old Boca Juniors player Sávio was injured in the tussle that drew gasps from the online football community on social media platforms.

The dark side of the passionate and beautiful game of football was on full display, as the Boca players crossed a line in their attempts to prove their point in the face of defeat.