The pre-season friendly between Porto and Roma descended into an ugly brawl when Pepe fouled Henrikh Mkhitaryan, sparking a furious reaction.
Pepe had been leaving his foot in several times already during the game, with both coaches Jose Mourinho and Sergio Conceicao repeatedly complaining to the referee.
It erupted at the 64th minute, with Roma 1-0 up through a Gianluca Mancini diving header, when Pepe barged Mkhitaryan over in midfield with an arm raised to his face.
The Armenia international was absolutely furious and reacted angrily, trying to kick out at Portugal international defender Pepe.
Suddenly, everyone piled in, including members of the bench and staff, trying to pull various players apart.
This included Edin Dzeko, who from the touchline was heard saying to Pepe: “Bravo, you’re 1-0 down, now go and cry.”
The referee called a cooling break to calm the situation down, while players continued to discuss the situation in much more civilised terms.
Wisely, Mourinho then immediately substituted Mkhitaryan after the five-minute break in play.
Here’s the video of the late challenge from Pepe: pic.twitter.com/DbsuY3Svk1
— Rete This Way: A Calcio Podcast 🇨🇦🇮🇹 (@ReteThisWay) July 28, 2021