Dozens of flares have been set off at Socceroos World Cup live sites across the nation, with one fan suffering burns after being hit in the face during a chaos-fuelled morning.
Mounted police were forced to intervene after fans attempted to breach barriers at Melbourne's Federation Square when the popular site reached capacity just after 4am on Saturday.
About 7500 punters packed the site in cold and rainy conditions, with 14 flares and one firework set off before the match, leading to two arrests.
The pair will be charged on summons, with police reviewing CCTV to identify those responsible for setting off the remaining flares.
"Enforcing prohibited items such as flares from entering the live site remains the responsibility of the venue," a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
