(Reuters) -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.

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.

Remarkably, this was not the first time Austria have faced pitch troubles. In 2022, a sinkhole also appeared during their Nations League match against Denmark in Vienna.

Austria won on Saturday thanks to a 54th-minute penalty converted by Marcel Sabitzer, after Christos Sielis fouled Christoph Baumgartner, and are second in Group H.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)