Sao Paulo: Both semi-finals of the Brazilian Cup were halted within minutes of the kick off on Wednesday, one because the two teams wore similar playing strips and the other because the floodlights failed.

At the Maracana stadium in Rio, home side Fluminense wore their traditional red, white and green stripes while Palmeiras used an all grey strip.

The clash bothered players and fans and with just seven minutes on the clock, the Palmeiras players changed into a white shirt at the side of the pitch.

Three minutes later the game restarted, with Palmeiras changing their shorts and socks at halftime to a more traditional green.

Fluminense won the match 2-1.

Fans at the other game between Sao Paulo and Santos had even more difficulty when the floodlights failed with less than a minute of the match gone.

The lights came on 20 minutes later and Santos went on to a 3-1 victory in the tie that was further hampered by torrential rain.

Both second leg ties will take place next week.

The Brazilian Cup is one of the most important competitions in the country because it gives the winner direct entry into the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of the Champions League.