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A rowdy crowd broke through metal barricades and lit dozens of flares at Federation Square during the Matildas’ do-or-die World Cup semi-final against England, with police expressing their disappointment at supporters’ behaviour.

The popular fan site reached capacity an hour before the match’s 8pm kick-off in Sydney on Wednesday.

Authorities urged crowds to instead watch the game at AAMI Park. But 30 minutes later, crowds began storming the barriers past security to join supporters inside the square.

Police rushed to support security guards, with mounted officers eventually brought in to control the unruly crowd.

Despite warnings of a $7400 fine, clouds of red smoke regularly filled Federation Square as fans discharged more than 50 flares.

Victoria Police expressed disappointment in the crowd’s behaviour, singling out a large group of “mainly male youths” and saying it was a “challenging night”.

A flare being thrown by rowdy supporters at Federation Square on Wednesday.Credit: Joe Armao

“Officers were constantly trying to ensure the safety of the crowd, managing and monitoring public order at the Federation Square site; however, at times, multiple temporary fences, which were in place to assist with managing the crowd, were breached,” police said in a statement.

“More than 50 flares were discharged and multiple thrown into the crowd, luckily at this stage, we’re not aware of anyone being injured.”

Four males, ranging in age from 16 to 23, were issued with penalty notices for possessing flares, while a 16-year-old boy was cautioned after throwing a flare.

Police said officers had obtained CCTV footage of the flare incidents, which would be investigated by detectives.

Thousands of fans queued to reserve their spots at the Melbourne public viewing site hours in advance of the semi-final.

But dejected fans began filtering out of Federation Square the moment England’s third goal touched the net, before Australia’s World Cup hopes were officially declared over, beaten 3-1 in the semi-final by the Lionesses of England.

Despite the rowdy behaviour at Federation Square, police praised the behaviour of the crowds at AAMI Park, where at least 23,838 fans congregated.

One male was issued a penalty notice after being caught in possession of a flare at the stadium.

More to come

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