Galatasaray vs. Besiktas Match Ends with Riot Involving Hundreds of Fans

Sunday's Super Lig meeting between intense rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas ended in violence, as fans at Olympic Stadium stormed the pitch in the 93rd minute of the Istanbul derby, forcing the match to be suspended. 

CNN Turkey, via the Daily Mail's Dave Wood, has the news:

"

Hundreds of fans halted the Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Besiktas after storming the pitch at Istanbul's Olympic Stadium on Sunday.

Police used teargas in an attempt to restrain fans who rushed on to the field after Galatasaray midfielder Felipe Melo was shown a red card, CNN Turk said.

"

Felipe Melo was shown a straight red card during injury time for a rash two-footed tackle, and as he walked off the pitch, he was hit with a glass bottle.

Mayhem subsequently broke out, as hundreds of fans stormed onto the pitch and both teams and the referees were forced to flee into the locker rooms.

According to the Hurriyet Daily News, fans of the visiting side are not allowed at the host stadium during Turkish derby games, so it was only Besiktas supporters on hand.  

The match was called with away squad Galatasaray leading 2-1 thanks to a second-half brace from Didier Drogba, but according to the Daily Mail report, the Turkish Football Federation will likely award a 3-0 victory to the leaders. 

Nothing has yet been decided, however. 

Galatasaray and Besiktas, both based out of Istanbul, are fierce rivals, and this was regarded as one of the biggest matches of the season. Per the above Hurriyet report, there were more than 70,000 fans in attendance to see the battle.

With tensions running high and civil unrest reportedly running rampant in Istanbul per the Daily Mail, a hard-fought match between two talented clubs suddenly turned into a very scary scene. 

Soccer tends to bring out extreme emotions in fans, but when the beautiful sport is marred like this, it is extremely sad—and frightening—to behold.