<table class="storycontent" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><div class="mxb"><h1>Fans clash ahead of World Cup tie </h1></div></td></tr><tr><td class="storybody"><div> <div class="cap">Rival fans threw bricks, bottles and traffic cones on their way to the football ground.</div></div> <p class="first">Play at a World Cup qualifier in Belfast had to be suspended for five minutes after a linesman was hit with a small object thrown from the crowd. </p> Before the game, riot police had to separate Northern Irish and Polish fans outside the football ground. Fireworks, bricks and bottles were thrown. </p> Earlier, nine people were arrested following trouble at a pub on Bedford Street in the city centre. </p> The pub has closed, considerable damage having been caused. </p> </p><div class="videoInStoryC"><div class="emp" id="emp_7970115"></div><p class="caption">Clashes broke out between fans along the route to the match</p></div> Police said the majority of those arrested were Polish. </p> It is understood that several people have been injured during the disturbances. </p> Riot police in armoured land rovers were deployed at Tates Avenue as fans made their way to the Windsor Park football ground. </p> Residents in the area were advised by police to stay indoors. </p> A spokesman for the Wetherspoons pub said he understood the trouble at its premises started following an "altercation between a Polish fan and a local". </p> He estimated that the damage caused could run into thousands of pounds. </p> The game kicked-off at 1715 GMT and finished in a 3 - 2 win for Northern Ireland. </p> Reports from inside the ground said the crowd was calm, but tense. </p> </td></tr></tbody></table>