Copa América Femenina, the top soccer tournament involving women’s national teams in South America, will take place next month. In the lead-up, two teams that are slated to go but are in opposite groups — Chile and Venezuela — squared off on Saturday evening at the Estadio La Granja in Chile.
Venezuela ended up picking up a 1-0 win thanks to a second half goal by Mariana Speckmaier. Before that happened, the two teams had to deal with a rather rude interruption, as a dang dog ran onto the field and apparently thought getting pets from everyone would be the best thing in the world.
36′ Un invitado muy especial en La Granja
@LaRoja 0 – 0 @FemeninoFVF #LaRojaFEMxTNTSports pic.twitter.com/P7ZHhln6A3
— TNT Sports Chile (@TNTSportsCL) June 25, 2022
Even some photographers on the sideline and one of the officials got in on the fun. I really love the 52-second mark, when you can see in the distance that Chilean keeper Christine Endler is petting the dog’s stomach right after the ball goes out of play with a huge smile on her face, presumably because this is extremely funny. The dog looks for a few more pets, and when an effort is made to get it off the pitch, it takes off to the delight of every person in the stadium.
Eventually, a pair of Chilean teammates — Yenny Acuña and Javiera Toro — were able to get the situation all taken care of. I wish nothing but the best for this dog for the rest of time.