A SOCCER fan's dream trip to the Brazilian Cup Final turned into a nightmare as he was caught up in crowd violence which left 170 people injured.

Teenager Andrew Barley feared he was going to be trapped in a Hillsborough-style crush.

Andrew, of Byrd Gardens, Brighton Hill, said the stadium drama was "the most frightening experience of my life".

The 18-year-old was part of the 40,000 crowd squeezed into a 33,000 capacity stadium for the second leg of the final between Vasco de Gama and Sao Caetano on December 30.

Trouble flared 22 minutes into the game when Vasco de Gama striker Romario was substituted, sparking rage amongst a hard core group of Vasco fans'.

From their position high up in the terraced stand, the contingent charged forward.

Andrew, who was in Brazil to visit his mother's family and was at the game with his Brazilian cousin and a friend, said: "The wave of people pushing forward was unstoppable.

"We were really scared, but luckily were dragged to the side as some people realised what was happening and were pushed sideways.

"The spot where we had been standing was caught up in the centre of the wave. Everyone was screaming."

Fortunately, the 12 ft high fence at pitchside collapsed under the weight of the crowd, preventing any deaths. Amid the ensuing chaos, fighting also broke out between fans and police.

The nightmare continued for Andrew after Vasco fans reacted angrily to the decision to call the game off. Vasco supporters on the top tier, armed with fireworks, hurled them on to the crowd and police below, causing a fire.

Andrew, a modern apprentice at Pro-Weld in Daneshill, said: "Everyone was coughing and my eyes were really stinging."

Tovar Nunes, from the Brazilian Embassy in London, said: "This was a very sad incident. The serious consequences of which are being examined in both a localised and national context."