Russian football player Valery Tskhovrebov unintentionally interrupted a pigeon’s flight over the stadium when he struck it with a ball during a Football National League (FNL) match on Tuesday.
The game between Shinnik Yaroslavl and Tyumen was halted for several minutes after Shinnik defender Tskhovrebov sent the ball high in the air, hitting the bird as it flew overhead.
After being knocked-down by the powerful kick, the pigeon lay motionlessly on the grass for several minutes before flying away, according to local media.
Shinnik’s management later revealed that newly-planted grass seeds that were scattered around the stadium one day earlier attracted birds in search of food.
The game ended 1-0 in favor of Shinnik, with Tskhovrebov scoring the only goal.
Thankfully the incident was not as bad as the most famous case of a ball hitting a bird duding sports event. That came in 2001 when a baseball player, Randy Johnson, pitched a ball which hit a passing bird, killing it instantly in a mass of feathers.
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