ALEX MURPHY made his Kaiserslautern debut in a truly mad German Cup game.
The Irish defender joined the second-division side on a season-long loan from Newcastle United earlier this month.
Newcastle United loanee Alex Murphy made his Kaiserslautern debut in a tasty German Cup derby game against Mannheim Credit: REUTERS
The game was marred by crowd trouble Credit: REUTERS
And he made his club bow in a volatile DFB Cup game against their bitter rivals Mannheim on Friday night.
Thousands of police were deployed for the fiery southwest derby, which was almost ABANDONED.
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Things kicked off following a goalless 90 minutes after a brief scuffle between the players.
That lit the blue touch paper for the travelling Kaiserslautern fans to throw flares and other projectiles into the stands.
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That act sparked pandemonium as hordes of Mannheim supporters STORMED the pitch.
The situation threatened to get out of control until police, some of whom were on horseback, and security intervened and removed the pitch invaders.
The incident delayed the start of extra time.
The situation was also worsened by away fans lighting a fire, which the local fire brigade managed to put out.
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Several Mannheim louts stormed the pitch after Kaiserslautern fans threw flares Credit: AP
Horseback police strode on to the pitch to clear off the pitch invaders and restore order Credit: REUTERS
A whopping 1400 police officers were deployed to keep the peace at the Carl-Benz-Stadium.
Thirty-three of them sustained injuries, with a total of 85 people requiring medical treatment.
The police, who confirmed multiple arrests, also revealed after the match that eight people were hospitalised.
Kaiserslautern booked passage to the second round with a 120th-minute goal from Ibrahim Kanate.
Police made multiple arrests after taking to the pitch to clear the invaders Credit: AP
Kaiserslautern ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a extra-time winner from Ibrahim Kanate Credit: REUTERS
Murphy, 21, played 55 minutes of the cup clash, which will no doubt be ingrained in his memory for years to come.
The Irishman is looking forward to spending the season with the Red Devils, saying: “I’m very happy to be here.
“FC Kaiserslautern is a great club and I can’t wait to play my first game in this incredible stadium.
“I want to take the next steps in my development here and be as successful as possible with the team this season.”
