Violence erupted on Belfast’s streets before, during and after last night’s World Cup qualifying match between Northern Ireland and Poland. Trouble was still raging more than an hour after the match as up to 60 Northern Ireland fans clashed with police at Tates Avenue outside Windsor Stadium as police kept Polish fans inside the ground to avoid further clashes.

In the hours after last night’s match riot police were dealing with skirmishes involving rival fans in the streets surrounding Windsor Park.

One cop on the ground predicted that sporadic trouble would continue through the night.

And he warned: “If this violence continues it could cost someone their life.”

Fireworks, bricks and bottles were hurled during violent street clashes between rival supporters before the 5.15pm kick-off as hundreds of riot police worked to separate the groups.

Several people were injured and at least nine were arrested during the violence.

Trouble first flared in the city centre around 2.30pm ahead of the match which ended in a 3-2 victory for the home side.

The ugly scenes erupted in Wetherspoon’s pub in Bedford Street where the nine arrests were made.

Police said the majority of those arrested were Polish. Windows in the bar were smashed and CCTV footage captured a Polish fan throwing a chair into the bar from the street.

A spokesman for the bar, which closed after the trouble broke out, said the problems started after an “altercation between a Polish fan and a local”.

He estimated that the damage to the premises could run into thousands of pounds.

More trouble flared later when scuffles broke out on the Lisburn Road and on nearby Tates Avenue in south Belfast, where there was a stand-off between Northern Ireland and Poland fans. False rumours |circulated that a Northern Ireland fan had been fatally stabbed by a Polish fan which stoked up tension.

One Northern Ireland fan said: “The Polish fans were being pelted with cans of beer and I’ve just been caught in the crossfire.

“I’ve never seen Northern Ireland fans behaving like this.”

Around 5,000 Polish fans were making their way to the stadium even though only 1,000 had tickets for the match.

Riot police moved in to separate the factions and more arrests were made.

As our pictures show, one blood-splattered Northern Ireland fan was hit on the head with a bottle. And one Press photographer was brutally attacked by a thug who had been wielding a bottle at a Polish fan.

A Northern Ireland fan said: “I’ve been a supporter for years and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s scary.”

Fans inside the stadium described the atmosphere there as “edgy”.

While the match kicked off on time, play was later suspended for five minutes after a |linesman was hit with a small coin-like object thrown from a section of Northern Ireland supporters in the North Stand just after Poland levelled the game at 1-1.

Polish fans inside the ground were also involved in trouble in the closing stages of the match which ended in a 3-2 victory for Northern Ireland. Several tried to climb the perimeter fence after leaving the South Stand to reach the |terracing. But again police moved in to stop them. Polish fans were kept inside the stadium for more

than an hour after the final whistle while police worked on dispersing Northern Ireland fans from Tates Avenue and the surrounding streets where more clashes broke out.

Just over an hour after the game ended police escorted hundreds Polish fans out of Windsor Park and out of the trouble zone around the stadium to the calm of the Malone area, while other cops kept stone-throwing Northern Ireland fans back in the Village area of south Belfast.Alliance Sports spokesperson Councillor Michael Long condemned the trouble.

He said: “This type of sickening behaviour wrecks things for the vast majority of fans.”