SEVERAL MANCHESTER United fans were taken to hospital last night after police opened fire with rubber bullets during clashes at the Champions' League game at FC Porto.

At least one of the fans had a rubber bullet lodged in his head and another was taken away by ambulance with a wound to his arm. Around six others also suffered rubber bullet wounds, ambulance officials said. Police fired to prevent the fans leaving the stadium after a group of. United fans ignored an order to remain in the ground until the end of the match and tried to force an exit door as the quarter final tie was drawing to a close.

"It was a disgrace, they opened fire on us. I have five wounds," one United fan said. A number of other fans were treated at the first aid centre at the ground and at least three police were also injured.

The British Foreign Office said: "The message we are getting seems to be that the fans are blaming their injuries on the police. Obviously there are two sides to every story and we will be seeking a full police report in the morning

Earlier, three fans were taken to hospital when trouble broke out after 200 fans were refused entry to the ground because they were said to have forged tickets. Furious United fans denied the problem was caused by forged tickets. Instead, they claimed that Porto officials blocked fans with perfectly legitimate tickets - bought from official United outlets - from entering the ground by closing turnstiles 10 minutes before kick off.

Richard Kurt, from Lancashire, said he was among a group of several hundred trapped in an enclosed space outside the turnstiles, who were baton charged by Portuguese riot police. "People were very frightened. The word Hillsborough was being bandied around. The crowd control was abysmal. People were being pushed into a funnel, and they could see there was no escape," he said.