Uruguayan player left with blood POURING down his face after being hit by ROCK

Penarol defender Maximiliano Olivera has sustained a huge gash below the eye after being struck by a stone thrown from the crowd in their Copa Libertadores opener on Thursday.

The Uruguayan side's match against Rosario, in which the latter won 1-0, was marred when Olivera was left with blood pouring out of his face after being hit by a rock.

After first lying on the floor waiting for treatment, Olivera then had to be held back by several players and staff as he made a beeline for the stands.

The Uruguayan defender subsequently left the pitch after being substituted before heading to hospital in Rosario as doctors inspected the extent of the cut.

Following the incident, Olivera released a statement on Instagram, updating fans on his condition. He said: 'I'm fine! Thanks for the messages.'

He continued: 'Beyond the pain and a few stitches, everything is fine! Hurt by the result that we believe we deserved more.

'But with a lot of anger about the terrible treatment that our fans, our people, received. A shame!

'But all together, we are going to fight everywhere! Peñarol and nothing more. This follows! Let's go and let's go.'

The tone was set before kick-off when the Rosario fans tore up a fence seperating the two sets of supporters and threw it into the Penarol fans section.

Videos on social media also show what looks like Penarol fans launching a flare into the home supporters. Unfortunately, the scenes in the stands led to the dreadful scenes on the pitch.

It has been reported that Olivera briefly fainted after being hit, while still on the pitch, during the group stage encounter.

WARNING: Graphic content

Penarol released a club statement following the incident, in which they shared there is an ongoing investigation to identify the