Shocking scenes as West Brom player lands huge punch on opponent during ugly brawl in friendly

There were shocking scenes in West Brom's pre-season friendly against Mallorca on Saturday after Jayson Molumby lost control and punched an opponent.

There have been several ill-tempered incidents involving EFL clubs already in pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with James McClean clashing with Levi Colwill in Wrexham's recent draw with Chelsea and Bolton defender George Johnston sparking a brawl in Friday's match against Fiorentina.

But an even more shocking incident occurred on Saturday afternoon as West Brom took on Spanish side Mallorca in a warm-up match at the Championship club's training ground in the West Midlands.

Republic of Ireland international Molumby appeared to attempt to headbutt opponent Samu Costa before landing a huge punch on the Portuguese player.

After Molumby was brought down by an ill-timed challenge from Costa, the pair squared up to each other and exchanged words before touching foreheads.

Molumby then appeared to lunge forward with his head, prompting Costa to raise his left hand before the Irishman landed a massive right-hand punch straight to his opponent's face.

The pair then grappled each other before falling to the floor, with several players from both sides piling into the melee. Check out the shocking incident below.

Jayson Molumby just punched his opponent on the pitch… 😭😭😭pic.twitter.com/8ktwQg7knE

— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) July 27, 2024

It took several minutes for the two sets of players to be separated by the officials, with a number of substitutes and coaching staff also coming on to the pitch.

A furious Molumby was eventually led away from the scene by defender Kyle Bartley, who attempted to calm his teammate.

The referee then held talks with West Brom manager Carlos Corberan and Mallorca coach Jagoba Arrasate before seemingly sending off both Molumby and Costa.

The Portuguese player was incensed by the decision, protesting his innocence for around a minute before eventually leaving the pitch in fury - discarding his Mallorca shirt in disgust.

Wisely the referee blew the whistle for half-time several minutes early to avoid a further escalation, with the match later resuming after the interval.

West Brom face Cambridge United and local rivals Birmingham in their remaining pre-season games before taking on QPR in their opening match of the new Championship season on August 10.