Copenhagen players pelted with dead rats thrown by Brondby fans in bad-tempered Danish derby

Copenhagen player Ludwig Augustinsson went to take a corner and was struck by flying dead rats, with the unusual act of crowd trouble quickly condemned by Brondby's Sporting Director

Copenhagen's corner taker Ludwig Augustinsson had to kick the rats away (Alka)

A Danish Superliga clash between Bronby and FC Copenhagen was interrupted by two dead rats that were launched onto the field from the stands.

With Copenhagen leading 1-0 in the final minutes of play, Ludwig Augustinsson had lined up for a corner kick when the rodents landed at his feet, calling for him and goal-scorer Benjamin Verbic to become impromptu pest controllers.

It is unknown how the rodents were smuggled into the 28,000-capacity Bronby Stadium, but it is likely they were thrown by home supporters.

The vermin rainfall was condemned by the Bronby sports director Troels Bech who wrote in a statement: "We are obviously annoyed that we had to leave the field without points, but it is equally unfortunate that there are some visitors for today's match who could not figure out how to behave properly.

"We will now look all the video material and pictures … [and] will engage in dialogue with groups of supporters in the hope that together we can identify the right person and make sure he/she gets removed from the stadium.

"We have Denmark's most atmospheric football stadium and … by far the best fans, and a single individual should not ruin it for the greater community."

The two Danish football giants have a historic rival with the two sides situated only seven miles apart.

The rat tossing joins a collection of rather bizarre on-field interruptions including a German Cup game last year between Dynamo Dresden and RB Leipzig when a decapitated bull’s dead was flung onto the pitch.