Soccer player carries injured seagull off the field mid-game in Australian cup final

Something unusual happened during the second half of Australia’s FFA Cup final between Sydney and Melbourne City when a wandering seagull found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things stopped when the poor bird got drilled and lay motionless on the ground.

Sydney goalkeeper Danny Vukovic wasn’t going to leave the bird to be carried off by the grounds crew, cradling it in his hands and taking the seemingly dead bird to the sideline before giving it a pat on the back. The crowd applauded the keeper, then when the video screen cut back to the bird there was raucous applause.

Not only was the seagull alive and well, but it ended up with the best seat in the house! The stadium had technology installed to emit a high-pitched frequency to keep seagulls from landing on the field, but it didn’t work on this bird.

This isn’t the first time a seagull has come back from the dead during a sports game in Australia. In 2015, a seagull was struck by the ball during a cricket game and appeared dead before bouncing back in the same way.