A Copa Libertadores football match between bitter Argentine rivals River Plate and hosts Boca Juniors was suspended on Thursday after fans fired pepper spray at visiting players.

Authorities said several players were hurt when violence erupted at the match, which was scoreless at halftime before a crowd of 60,000.

As the River Plate players came out of the tunnel onto the field for the second half, Boca fans sprayed them with pepper spray and other unidentified irritant chemicals.

"I can't see, I can't see. I am burning. This is not a war!" exclaimed River Plate defender Ramiro Funes Mori, surrounded by a chaotic scene of pushing and shoving as fans shouted insults from the stands.

River Plate players were pelted with rocks and bottles as they left the field. It took officials more than an hour to decide to suspend the round of 16 match between the two teams, who wage one of the game's most storied rivalries.

It will now be up to CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation that oversees the tournament, to decide whether to play the second half of the contest.

River Plate had won the first leg of the tie 1-0 last week.