Not your usual pitch invader! Black cat halts play in Barca opener

Reporter

Aug 25, 2014 10:16 pm

Barcelona had barely kicked off the new La Liga season against Elche when they were greeted by an ominous figure - a black cat.

The feline pitch invader took to the grass at the Nou Camp a minute after the match had started, forcing officials to halt the game for more than a minute in order to remove it from the field of play.

While stewards tried to catch the cat, the chase only served to spook the critter, which dashed around the pitch as it tried to evade capture.

Eventually, the cat slowed down as it approached the corner flag, allowing one of its pursuers to scoop it up and escort it to the exit.

You can watch the entire cat chase in the video above.

Despite the superstitious link between black cats and bad luck, the furry pitch invader had no effect on Lionel Messi and Co. as the Catalans eased past Elche with a 3-0 scoreline to hand Luis Enrique his first competitive win as Barca head coach.