One pigeon came a little bit too close to the action in the Copa America quarterfinal between Argentina and Venezuela, appearing to stop Rodrigo de Paul in his tracks as he rolled the ball over the bird’s head.
De Paul, 25, was attempting to escape the attentions of two Venezuelan players when he encountered the bird standing on the pitch.
Without seeing the feathered intruder, the Udinese star rolled the ball forward, crushing the bird as he did so.
The pigeon then promptly scrambled back up and flew away, before De Paul went to the ground under a challenge from opposition midfielder Darwin Machis.
The ‘tackle’ by the bird was quickly picked up and shared on social media, prompting some predictable jokes about his potential as a winger – as well as a big-money signing for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Thankfully the bird emerged unharmed from the incident, while a Lionel Messi-led Argentina won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso.
The win sets up a mouthwatering semifinal match with tournament hosts Brazil, as Argentina aim to end their 26-year drought without a major trophy.
They have lost the last two editions of the Copa America on penalties in the final to Chile - who beat Colombia on spotkicks in their quarterfinal on Friday and will meet either Uruguay or Peru in the last four.
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