Moment Matildas fans overwhelm police and security and push down a barrier at Federation Square – with ‘hundreds’ rushing into live site

Police and security staff in Melbourne were briefly overwhelmed as the Matildas fans rushed into Federation Square ahead of the World Cup semi-final against England.

Melbourne’s landmark is one of the live sites where fans have gathered throughout the tournament to watch the Matildas in action and it was no different on Wednesday night.

Thousand of fans flocked into Federation Square from 5pm, turning the site into a sea of green and gold and overrunning security personnel.

Footage shared on Twitter showed fans pushing down the barricades on the river side of the square with hundreds of spectators gaining access to the square.

Mounted police were swiftly called in to beef up security close to the fences that were knocked over.

Thousands of Matildas fans gathered in Federation Square to watch the semi-final clash

Organisers declared the live site full an hour before kick-off on Wednesday night 

As Federation Square reached capacity an hour before kick-off, organisers directed latecomers to the live site at AAMI Park.

Melbourne is not the only city in Australia to have set up multiple live sites to allow Matildas fans to gather together. 

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced earlier this week that Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta and Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park would be opened to the public for the semi-final.

Those stadiums are in addition to the FIFA Fan Festival hosted at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour, which has seen more than 202,000 attendees enjoy games so far in the contest.

Minns said that he wanted to ensure that ‘as many families as possible’ could watch the blockbuster event alongside other Australians.

‘The Matildas run at this FIFA World Cup has captured the nation; their quarter-final win was the highest rating TV event since Cathy Freeman’s 400m gold medal run at the Sydney Olympic Games,’ he said.

‘We’re opening up more big screens at Western Sydney Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium – we want to give NSW every chance to break that viewing record.

Live sites have also been put in place on Brisbane’s Riverside Green and South Bank, in Adelaide’s Festival Plaza and Memorial Drive and in Forrest Place in Perth.