A weekend match in Georgia’s top-flight professional football league was brought to an abrupt halt after an audacious pitch invasion interrupted a goal kick. This was not some political protest but merely a plea for a belly rub.
Current champions Torpedo Kutaisi were facing off against third-place Dila when a bold, pitch-invading dog forced a halt to proceedings by taking a shine to Torpedo goalkeeper Roin Kvaskhvadze.
The playful pup ran circles around the defence, before jostling with Kvaskhvadze, appearing to bite at his glove at least once in the tussle. The daring dog even played a dummy on one torpedo player, showing great calm as the crowd expressed their frustration with the antics on the field.
Torpedo’s David Khurtsilava eventually managed to shepherd the canine off the pitch after three minutes of stoppage. It is unclear whether the Georgian football association will sanction the unnamed dog.
Torpedo are currently languishing in fifth place while their weekend opponents, Dila, sit four points clear of them in third place. Torpedo are reigning champions, having secured their fourth national title in 2017.
The weekend’s game ended in a nil-all draw, the highlight of which was seemingly the pitch invasion, though some woof justice was meted out as Giorgi Gadrani received a red card in the 35th minute.
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