Incredible moment referee KOs losing coach with karate kick to the face after he tried to attack him with a bottle

THIS is the incredible moment a referee KO’s a furious member of a losing team’s coaching staff with a karate kick to the face during a Peruvian league match.

Luis Alegre let rip with his right boot as the man invaded the pitch and ran towards him with the apparent intention of assaulting him with a plastic bottle in his hand.

He connected with his rival’s head, putting him on the ground and sparking the intervention of the police.

Things then took a turn for the worse as the ref and his linesmen were surrounded by angry players looking for revenge.

The drama occurred in the 82nd minute of Sport Huaquilla’s Copa Peru match against Magdalena CEDEC in Ancash north of the of the Peruvian capital Lima.

TV footage showed it happened after Mr Alegre brought out a red card after one of his linesman appeared to point towards someone from the Magdalena bench.

The video showed the ballsy ref was no martial arts beginner – with his right boot connecting full-on with the jaw of the unnamed individual who rushed at him and went to hit him with his plastic water bottle.

Remarkably Luis managed to keep hold of the red card he was brandishing in his left hand despite his rapid reaction to the assault he was about to become a victim of.

The linesman nearest the action ran towards the pair before the karate kick in an apparent attempt to protect his colleague.

Although he ended up trying to calm tempers elsewhere on the pitch as the situation threatened to derail.

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The man on the receiving end of the referee’s martial arts technique got up moments after being felled looking dazed.

And perhaps thankfully for his own safety was persuaded not to react by one of his own team's players who put his arms around him and moved him away.

Match commentators responded by saying, when it was already too late: “Calm down lads, calm down”; before adding as police intervened: “This sort of thing can’t happen.”;

The game was suspended after the incident.

It was not immediately clear if the man kicked in the face had needed to be taken to hospital or whether he and the ref would face any disciplinary action.