Matildas and Chelsea star Sam Kerr has barged a pitch invader off his feet, earning herself a yellow card on the field, but praise and admiration online.
The male spectator made his way onto the field during Chelsea's Champions League game against Juventus on Thursday morning with his camera in the air taking selfies, but it was Kerr who delivered the money shot, producing a shoulder charge that flattened him.
The boos aimed at the spectators from the stands quickly turned to cheers for Kerr when the man got to his feet to be escorted from the field by a steward.
“Sam Kerr, bodyguard,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Vince Rugari, a sports reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, said: “It was hard to think of a way Sam Kerr could finish this week that would endear her to Australian fans even more, beyond what she’s achieved on the field. This was the only way.”
The Matildas captain didn’t walk away unpunished, with the referee giving her a yellow card for a hip-and-shoulder that would have impressed plenty of AFL fans.
Fans online couldn't believe the decision, saying Kerr had done the right thing by knocking the pitch invader to the ground after he briefly held up play.
“The pitch invader got what he deserved, Sam Kerr got booked. Some may say she should have got a medal,” wrote one fan online.
Others were concerned about the safety of women footballers, wondering how a pitch invader was able to make it so far.
“If clubs/stewards/venues can’t get their security/player safety in order then this is acceptable for me and shouldn’t be punished with a yellow,” wrote Andrew Blair, a football fan on Twitter.
Kerr’s intervention invoked memories of Andrew Symonds, the former Australian cricketer, who famously took out a streaker during Australia’s ODI with India at the Gabba in 2008.
Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds takes out a streaker with a shoulder charge in 2008. Source: AP/Rick Rycroft
The drama capped off a frustrating night in London for Chelsea, who couldn’t score for the first time this season. The game finished in a scoreless draw.
