West Ham fans fought riot police in Prague as they celebrated their side winning the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday night.
The Irons dramatically beat Italian side Fiorentina 2-1 to lift their first European trophy since 1965. West Ham were allocated 4,890 tickets at the Fortuna Arena in Prague but thousands more supporters travelled to the Czech capital without tickets to be part of what became one the greatest nights in the Premier League club's history.
After Jarrod Bowen's 90th-minute winner, fans revelled in the streets of Prague before a scuffle broke out in the Old Town area of the city. Police officers had attempted to confiscate a lit flare before a group of supporters ignited a second one.
Riot police then stormed the contingent of fans, who responded by throwing bottles and missiles at the officers. The incident came after Czech police confirmed that they'd detained at least 16 Italian supporters earlier on Wednesday after they attacked West Ham fans outside a bar, with videos posted on social media showing chairs and fireworks being thrown.
Local authorities added that three people were injured during the attack, including one police officer. One witness claimed that the Fiorentina fans were armed with "chains and belt buckles."
The aggro didn't stop once the football got underway, though. Midway through the first half, Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit by a plastic beer cup from the West Ham end while setting up a corner, causing him to bleed from the back of the head.
Have your say! How far can West Ham go in the Europa League next season? Join the debate in the comments section.
A statement from the Irons condemned the behaviour of a "small number of individuals" and went on to say: "These actions have no place in football, and do not in any way represent the values of our football club and the overwhelming majority of our supporters, who have behaved impeccably in Prague this week and throughout our last two seasons in European competition."
West Ham added that they'd work with police to review the incident and take action against those involved, such as implementing lifetime fans for the offenders. As for those well-behaved supporters, it was a night which will be remembered for all the right reasons as David Moyes' team made history.
After spending much of the first half on the back foot, the Irons took the lead just after the hour mark when Said Benrahma coolly smashed home a penalty. Fiorentina were level again five minutes later, however, as Giacomo Bonaventura produced a neat finish to punish some poor West Ham defending.
Just as extra-time was looming, Lucas Paqueta expertly played team-mate Bowen through on goal when the Fiorentina back line were caught high up the pitch. The England international then raced away and beat Italian goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano to etch his name into West Ham folklore and win Europe's third-rate competition in the dying embers.
