Lisbon, Nov 28 (AP) Portuguese club Belenenses started a league match against Benfica with just nine players after an outbreak of coronavirus in its squad. It was later called off just after halftime.

With two fewer players, Belenenses was soon trailing. Benfica scored all goals in the 7-0 win in the first half on Saturday.

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The referee called the match off just after the start of the second half. Only seven players took the field for Belenenses, which soon lost another player when one dropped to the turf, leaving them with only six.

The laws of soccer allow for games to be played as long as each team has seven players, including a goalkeeper.

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Club president Rui Pedro Soares said that despite having a decimated squad his club did not ask for the game to be postponed. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)