Fan with KNIFE invades pitch and confronts players until he is stopped by heroic star of his own team in horrific scenes

A SAO PAULO fan invaded the pitch with a KNIFE before being wrestled off the field by a heroic star playing for his own team on Saturday night.

The crazed supporter ran onto the grass during his side’s Under-20s 1-0 defeat to Palmeiras at the Arena Barueri in Sao Paulo and the ref was seen holding the lethal weapon aloft just seconds later.

The game was deep into second-half stoppage time when trouble started to spill onto the field.

Palmeiras were leading the São Paulo Junior Football Cup semi-final as a man jumped the barriers in the stands and made his way towards the players.

There was a confrontation with some of the Palmeiras team before several Sao Paulo stars intervened.

And then another Sao Paulo supporter came from the corner of the stadium and the No 9 from his own team was seen furiously gesturing at him to stop.

The man did no such thing and continued to advance with one hand held suspiciously by his side as the player from his own team grabbed him around the waist and tried to drag him away.

And in very disturbing scenes, just seconds later the referee could be seen walking off the pitch holding a black dagger-looking knife aloft.

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