Fans of Flamengo and Vasco da Gama fight in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. (Reuters)

Rio de Janeiro: Six players were sent off in a vicious match between rivals Flamengo and Vasco da Gama on Sunday, while the ‘peace’ derby between Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro ended with a brawl involving players, fans and police.

The Flamengo-Vasco match in Rio de Janeiro, which followed a week of mutual provocation, was in danger of being abandoned as Vasco played the last 15 minutes with the minimum permitted number of seven players after receiving four red cards. The Belo Horizonte derby began cordially with Cruzeiro and Atletico players entering the arena wearing shirts bearing the message ‘Peace’, a response to last week’s fan violence which resulted in the death of a supporter. But the message was forgotten at the end as the teams lashed out in a pitched battle.

Violence erupted in Belo Horizonte as Cruzeiro were celebrating lifting the Mineiro championship. Atletico fans hurled a firecracker at Cruzeiro’s Cris, who had already been sent off. Cris threw the firecracker back at the supporters. (Reuters)