Tom Sheen is a Digital Sports Reporter for The Independent.
The match between Montenegro and Russia had to be suspended after Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was hit by a flare just seconds into the game in Podgorica.
The lit flare was thrown from behind the goal - a place occupied by Montenegro's supporters - during the Group G fixture, and appeared to strike Akinfeev in the back of the head approximately 20 seconds after kickoff, causing him to fall to the floor.
He was then carried off the pitch on a stretcher, as German referee Deniz Aytekin stopped the game and ushered the other players away.
Around 30 minutes after the incident, it was announced in the stadium that the match would be resumed, but warned it would be abandoned if there was any more crowd trouble.
After player warmed up for a few minutes, the match restarted, with substitute goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin replacing Akinfeev.
The goalkeeper has been examined my medics, and is being taken to hospital for further tests, Russian TV has reported, citing a spokesman for the national team.
Tonight's game was the first that Russia and Montenegro have played against each other.
Russia and Montenegro are third and fourth respectively in Group G, both with five points from four games.
The incident comes after a Euro 2016 qualifier match between Serbia and Albania last year was abandoned after a drone carrying a political banner was flown into the stadium.
When a Serbian player attempting to pull down the banner, Albanian players struggled to protect it. In the resulting disorder, Serbian fans attacked Albania players. Both teams were punished over the incident.
Additional reporting from Reuters and AP
Source
Montenegro vs Russia suspended after goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev hit by a flare and carried off less than a minute into qualifier
