Four Players Sent Off Before 11am As Wolves Vs Levante 'Friendly' Descends Into Chaos
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Levante clashed in a chaotic 'friendly' match that contained four red cards.
All of the dismissals came in the first half, with Yerson Mosquera and Daniel Podence sent off for Wolves.
Thursday's game had kicked off at 10am in the Spanish seaside resort of Benidorm, where the temperature was just over 82°F.
On a warm morning, the hotheaded behavior of the two teams almost saw the game abandoned before 11am.
A pre-season friendly between Wolves and Levante witnessed an on-field brawl late in the first half
YouTube/Wolves
But after ending the first half with both teams down to nine men, referee Jorge Tarraga Lajara bizarrely allowed the game to restart as an 11-vs-11 contest after the interval.
Lajara made it clear to both managers during the half-time break that he would cancel the match if any more disorder took place.
Fortunately, both teams calmed down and Levante recorded a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Roger Marti Salvador and Giorgi Kochorashvili.
Toti Gomes scored a late consolation goal for Wolves.
First-Half Chaos
The match was streamed live via the Wolves YouTube channel where viewers witnessed some bad behavior from both teams.
On two occasions in the first half the pitch was invaded by substitutes and coaches responding to ugly flashpoints.
Wolves defender Mosquera reacted angrily to a heavy challenge - not the first of its type - sparking a melee which eventually resulted in he and Levante's Enis Bardhi being shown red.
Mosquera and Bardhi then squared up again before leaving the field.
Their exits did not calm the contest though. Just before half-time Podence reacted to another tough tackle by grappling with a Levante defender.
Podence was sent off, while the referee also flashed his red card in the direction of Levante's Roger Marti during the game's second mass confrontation.
The half ended immediately after the second brawl, with the referee deciding against playing any added time.