Wellington Phoenix captain Annalie Longo’s own dog has gone to great lengths to try to lift the A-League Women side to a stirring comeback victory over Canberra United with a canine cameo on Sunday.
Longo’s best friend “Tiger” scampered onto the pitch with the Phoenix trailing by a goal after Michelle Heyman’s 11th-minute strike had put United in front at Porirua Park in New Zealand.
Tiger ran rings around players from both sides, evading capture and refusing to greet a crouching Longo as play was halted for more than a minute.
Phoenix fans were quick to celebrate the surprise guest’s appearance with chants of Baha Men’s timeless hit Who Let the Dogs Out?, as more players started to kneel down and call for the pitch invader.
“There’s a dog on the pitch,” commentator Jason Pine said. “You don’t often see that, or certainly not at this level.
“I think that might be Annalie Longo’s own dog. Maybe she needs to go and get her.”
Tiger eventually made his way to Longo and the pair shared a heart-warming embrace before the Nix’ skipper ended her dog’s adventure by handing him to a staff member on the sidelines.
“This is indeed the best league in the world,” Pine added.
Taking inspiration from Tiger’s cameo, the Phoenix came out firing after the break to finish with 19 shots to eight but Heyman’s 100th goal for United proved the difference in the 1-0 victory.
