A daring pitch invader has put it all on the line for some belly rubs and pats.
An international women’s football match between Chile and Venezuela had to be brought to a standstill after an affection-craving pup legged it onto the field.
The hilarious incident happened in the 36th minute of the international friendly when the scores were tied at 0-0.
Footage showed the black dog patrolling the sidelines and receiving pats from the photographers.
Clearly wanting in on the action, the dog presumably bellowed out ‘Sub me on coach’ before sprinting onto the field without awaiting instruction from the sideline.
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The referee called for a stoppage in the play when the most adorable pitch invader of all time rolled over and demanded belly rubs from the Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler.
The referee couldn’t even say no to the pup as the dog copped some scratches from her as well.
Clearly enjoying itself and getting hyped up from the crowd, the black dog proceeded to sprint from one end of the field to the other as players and officials tried to beckon it off the field.
But it wasn’t done yet as it legged it over to the Chile players on the sideline to get a few more belly rubs before being carried off by a Chile player - still wagging its tail.
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Belly rubs from some international footballers, as well as a referee, and a star-making run down the middle of the pitch; it was a mammoth effort from the animal.
Honestly, a player of the match performance in my eyes.
Animal pitch invasions are few and far between but are always a sight to see when they happen
Earlier this year, a cat ran onto the pitch during a match between English sides Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic.
The players were praised for the conscientious way they handled the pitch invasion by stopping play and carrying the cat, named Topsey, gently out of harm's way.
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In fact, it was the cat’s daring run that led to its owner finding Topsey after it has been missing for seven months prior.
Meanwhile, during a football game in Serbia last year, an over-excited canine invaded the field of play on four different occasions.
However, the dog didn’t quite get as lucky as our previous two invaders as the referee comically brandished the pooch a red card after its fourth interruption.
At this rate, it might be worth putting together a starting 11 of animal invaders to compete at the World Cup in Qatar.
Jayden Collins