They had travelled across Europe to see their beloved football team in one of their biggest games of their recent history.

But four Saints fans found themselves at the centre of a terrifying knifepoint drama shortly after watching Saints play Inter Milan in the Europa League.

The fans were chased through the streets by a man wearing women's clothes brandishing a knife and threatening to kill them.

The supporters were among more than 7,000 fans who had travelled to Milan from Southampton for the game, which Saints lost 1-0.

Were you in Milan? See hundreds of pictures in our Saints in Milan gallery.

The incident happened after the four teenage fans had left the historic San Siro stadium on the outskirts of the city, with seven friends.

They looked for taxis to get back to their hotels as the metro line outside the ground was so busy but they got on the bus instead.

After a short while they realised the bus was going the wrong way and got off.

It was then that the Saints fans say a man dressed in woman's clothing took offence to them and started to shout and threatened them.

Seven of the group jumped on a nearby bus but four Sam Sawyer, 19, Ben Hutchison, 19, Billy Allen, 18 and Ben Fripp, 17, had started to run off after they spotted the man had a knife in his hand.

He then took off his shoes and started to chase the frightened fans through the streets brandishing the knife.

The terrified teenagers, who don't speak any Italian, then hid and tried to phone for help but say police were unable to locate where they were in the city.

The four spotted a taxi who came to their aid and took them back to the safety of their hotel.

Fan Billy Allen was one fo the fans confronted by the knifeman.

He said: "He looked at me and said 'I will kill you right now.

“We're lucky to be alive as the man without doubt would have attacked us if he could.''

The teenager added: ''This was the scariest incident off my life, I'm still shaking now.

"The incident wouldn't have been so bad if the man didn't have a knife on him, but there was a real intention to hurt us. The man was looking to hurt us.''

Yesterday following their ordeal the fans made their way back to Southampton after flying to London City Airport and Heathrow respectively.