Davy Klaassen’s head is SPLIT by a rocket thrown from the crowd

Trouble marred Ajax’s victory over Feyenoord in the KNVB Cup semi-final, with the match temporarily halted after Davy Klaassen had his head split open by a missile thrown from the crowd.

In what is the biggest match in Dutch football, De Classic descended into an outrageous farce on Wednesday evening when Ajax players were showered with objects thrown by the home crowd.

The game threatened to boil over on the field, with characteristically brisk challenges flying across the field, though it was a projectile from the audience acting as a match.

As the players engaged in a fight near the touchline, Klaassen stood with his back to the home crowd on that side and was hit with what appeared to be a lighter.

The midfielder was taken off the field for the second time in the game along with the rest of the players

The incident marred the cup semi-final between the two big rivals – with Ajax eventually triumphing

Immediately realizing he had been hit and with blood pouring from his head, the midfielder chased referee Allard Lindhout and demanded something be done.

On the footage, he appeared to demand that the players be taken off the field as the home crowd whistled his protests.

The referee duly obliged, with the game being abandoned as officials, both on and off the field of play, tried in vain to sort things out.

The players were forced out with Ajax leading 2-1, with Klaassen himself scoring what turned out to be the winning goal of the evening. The game was stopped for 15 minutes.

Club officials from both sides agreed after consultation that the match would go ahead, with Feyenoord’s assistant manager John de Wolf begging supporters to behave.

‘Fans, on that side, use your fucking brains! Make sure nothing else is thrown on the field,” he said.

The game was initially abandoned after just one minute after smoke rose over the pitch from flares and other fireworks. Once that was resolved, the game started again.

Klaassen himself eventually had to drop out and told the Dutch media after the game that he was ‘banging his head’.

“When I got back on the field I felt my head pounding, I couldn’t keep my focus. But I wanted to try,” he said.

There was dismay on social media about the scenes, with former Ajax defender Frank de Boer calling the situation ‘ridiculous’.

“When we see this battle between two teams in other leagues, we say we miss this here in the Netherlands,” he said. And now we’re going to say it’s the fault of the players that this game got out of hand. They probably asked for it… ridiculous of course.’

The Dutch FA released a statement condemning the incident and adding that they would be looking for the perpetrators.

“Tonight during the semi-final of the cup tournament, we saw a player injured his head because someone in the audience threw an object at the pitch,” it read.

‘This despite the precautions, such as nets in various places in the stadium. Recently a player was beaten by a supporter and now another low point has been reached.

“Thousands of people go to the stadium to watch the players play football. Then it is madness that they are apparently not safe on the field.

Davy Klaassen scored early in the second half which later turned out to be the winner

The game threatened to boil over on the field – although it was an incident by the crowd that forced them to leave

‘Of course clubs and organizations take precautions, but it starts with the intentions of the perpetrators. If you don’t come to the stadium to play football, but to riot, stay away: football, the clubs, the real supporters and the players are better off without you.

“Of course tonight’s events are being investigated, with the common goal of punishing the perpetrators.”

De Kuip, home to Feyenoord, is known as a feverish and hostile playground for visiting teams. A Europa League tie between the Dutch and Roma was stopped in 2015 after objects were thrown on the field.

In November this year, Feyenoord supporters were banned from participating in the club’s next Europa League away game after disturbances at two group stage matches. Rockets had been thrown, while fireworks and damage were also reported.

Ajax held out for the win that evening and triumphed 2-1 thanks to goals from Klaassen and captain Dusan Tadic. Santiago Gimenez had equalized for the hosts just before half-time, while Ajax’s Kenneth Taylor was sent off deep into stoppage time at the end of the match.