Espanyol vs Barcelona stopped as referee delays game to speak to police

The La Liga clash between Espanyol and Barcelona was briefly stopped after an incident in which a car ran over a crowd of spectators outside the stadium.

In the eighth minute of the match, several Espanyol players were seen in communication with home spectators behind the goal, before they then gestured towards the Spanish official.

Grado then halted the match before speaking to members of both benches and the police. The game resumed two minutes later.

During the stoppage, a video was posted to social media which showed several fans being knocked down by a vehicle outside Espanyol's stadium.

It was later confirmed that the incident, which took place before kick-off, was the cause of the brief stoppage inside the RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol's PA system subsequently stated that there are understood to be no significant injuries, though Guillem Balague subsequently told ITV Sport that, out of the 13 people injured, four are believed to have suffered serious injuries.

Image: Twitter/@TheBlones10)

It was subsequently reported that seven ambulances had to be deployed outside the stadium, while another video also shows that riot police were present.

According to Marca, the cause of the attack has not yet been determined, with Spanish police currently working 'on the hypothesis' that the driver of the vehicle 'lost control and it was an accident'.

It is reported that the injured spectators have been taken to the nearby Bellvitge Hospital, which is just over three kilometres away from the stadium.

Before half-time, large groups of Espanyol fans were seen leaving the stadium, with Sport reporting that they did not want the game to be played after the incident.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona side will become La Liga champions with a victory over their fierce rivals, who are still not yet safe from relegation to the second tier.

A point, meanwhile, would almost certainly be enough for Barca given their far superior goal difference to second-placed Real Madrid, who started the evening five points behind their rivals.

More to follow...