A sinkhole discovered on the pitch during Austria’s 1-0 home victory over Cyprus in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Linz forced play to be halted late in the match, Reuters reported.

After 75 minutes a football-sized sinkhole was seen just outside Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager's penalty area.

Danish referee Jakob Kehlet stopped play for several minutes as groundstaff at the Raiffeisen Arena rushed to cover the hole and ensure the pitch was safe, according to Reuters.