Some North Korean footballers attempted to assault their referee, Rustam Lutfullin, after their team’s quarterfinal Asian Games loss to Japan on Sunday, 2-1.

The referee was quickly surrounded by other officials as they worked to defuse the heated situation.

The North Korean players reportedly lost their cool after Lutfullin awarded a penalty to Japan, according to the Daily Mail.

As the altercation brought in the assistant referees and numerous security officers, Sin Yong Nam, the North Korean coach, sprinted to his players to try to diffuse the situation.

Following numerous altercations with match officials on the pitch, Sin Yong Nam defended his players on Sunday in Hangzhou, saying that their behaviour had been “acceptable” despite the commotion.