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Alex KirklandGAMES GAMES
Friendship between Almeria and heart was abandoned on Sunday after a scuffle in the first half between both teams.
Almeria was leading 1-0 in the 39th minute at Jose Burgos Stadium, outside Malaga, Spain, when referee Javier Sanchez Carreras stopped the game.
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A late tackle by Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane against Almeria’s Alejandro Pozo make the Spanish team Rodrigo Ely intervened and pushed Cochrane to the ground. That caused a conflict involving both groups of players as the coaching staff and officials tried to restore order.
Cochrane and Ely were sent off before the decision to end the friendly match was made early.
“It’s a very competitive game,” Hearts manager Robbie Neilson told Hearts TV.
“Suddenly in the distance there was a tackle from Alex. [Cochrane]. I thought it was just a regular tackle, and then it all broke down, as their players ran around, a forearm smash from their centre-back on Alex.
“The referee was completely out of control. The benches were empty and there were about 60 people on the pitch. It was just a little bit of chaos. We felt this was a pre-season game, we had injuries, there’s no need to carry around because the stress is extremely high, to say the least.”
“There will always be a competitive advantage but there is an insurmountable line,” added Neilson. “I think they overcame it many times. The referee didn’t have any control, he controlled the whole store. We couldn’t continue the game so we just felt what the problem was. “
In front of Dyego Sousa put Almeria ahead in the 28th minute – after saving an earlier penalty – before the game was halted.
“The red and white team are winning, but an ugly tackle by a Scottish player led to the referee’s decision, at the opponent’s request,” Almeria said in a statement.
Almeria is 14th in LaLiga with the tournament postponed for the World Cup, while Hearts is fifth in the Scottish Premiership.
