A seagull hit by the ball during Australia’s FFA Cup final last week was carried to safety by Sydney’s Danny Vukovic and later recovered on the team bench.
The animal appeared to be caught in the face when a colony of the birds engulfed pitch at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as Vukovic’s side faced Melbourne City on Wednesday.
The kindhearted goalkeeper, who saw the incident, attempted to stop play but was forced to wait until the ball went out for a throw-in before carefully carrying the bird out of harm’s way.
A staff member took control of the situation and looked after the seagull who seemed quite content to watch the action from the bench before feeling ready to fly away and rejoin its friends.