FIFA Under-17 World Cup witnessed a major goof-up when Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not felicitate India’s former goalkeeper Bhaskar Ganguly. There was another goof-up in the New Zealand vs Turkey match which did not make headlines like the former one. This time it was a stray dog who invaded the football field and stopped the game for several minutes during the first half. The crowd at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai was amused by the dog running around the field dodging the officials and delaying the play.
Before the dog’s invasion into the football field, the New Zealand vs Turkey match was dominated by the latter. The crowd were not getting much to cheer for as they were silently watching the match. But, the arrival of the invader lifted everyone’s spirit. The play was stopped for 3-4 minutes before the officials managed to grab hold of the dog and escort him off the field.
Though the authorities had a hard time tackling him as he was swift and tough to catch, just like the players on the football field. Though the dog managed to entertain the crowd it was a disappointment for the authorities of the DY Patil Stadium because of the stoppage in the first half.
Watch the video of the dog giving authorities a hard time here-
The match between New Zealand and Turkey turned upside down in the second half as the former dominated in the field. The game ended with a 1-1 draw.
Turkey striker Ahmed Kutucu scored in 18th minute whereas New Zealand’s Max Mata scored the equaliser in the 58th minute. New Zealand players kept the pressure on in the second half but missed the goal by a whisker. There were two incidents in the second half when the ball hit the crossbar. In the end both the teams had to settle for a draw.
