- A women’s football match in New Zealand had to be stopped on Sunday
- It came after the captain’s dog invaded the playing field and would not leave
- Players were seen crouching down to try and coax the puppy towards them
A bizarre moment unfolded in the women’s A-League on Sunday afternoon during Wellington Phoenix’s 1-0 defeat by Canberra United.
The home side had gone down 1-0 in the first 11 minutes of the match, with Michelle Heyman striking her 100th goal for the club to give United the lead at Porirua Park in New Zealand.
But perhaps, hoping to inspire a Phoenix comeback, Annalie Longo’s puppy, Tiger bounded his way onto the pitch, before running rings around both sets of players.
The pooch was cheered on by fans inside the stadium, who began singing: ‘Who let the dogs out?’
Players from both teams attempted to grab the elusive puppy, but Tiger managed to evade capture.
The pooch broke onto the playing field and proceeded to run around players from both sides
Members of the Phoenix team crouched low to the ground as fans in the crowd began to sing ‘Who let the dogs out?’
The pup eventually ran over to his owner Annalie Longo, who gave the dog, named Tiger a pat
‘There’s a dog on the pitch!’ commentator Jason Pine had said.
‘You don’t often see that, or certainly not at this level!
‘I think that might be Annalie Longo’s own dog… Maybe she needs to go and get her.’
Pine was left in hysterics as players from both sides attempted to kneel down and coax the dog towards them.
With Longo crouching close to the floor, the puppy eventually spotted its owner and raced towards the New Zealand international.
The pair embraced in a heartwarming moment on the pitch, which received a big cheer from the supporters in the stands.
A huge cheer went out among the supporters as Longo embraced the pooch before picking Tiger up and escorting her dog off the field
She handed the pup over to a member of staff on the touchline who took the puppy away
Longo subsequently grabbed Tiger and proceeded to walk the puppy off the field before handing the dog over to what appeared to be a member of the team’s coaching staff.
The puppy’s appearance perhaps had an effect on the Phoenix, who came out with their shooting boots on in the second half, finishing up with 19 shots.
But they couldn’t put away their chances, with Heyman’s strike the difference.
The result also means that Wellington have lost both of their opening two matches at the start of the new A-League season.
While they sit second from bottom, Canberra have risen to second in the league after back-to-back wins at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.