Wales vs Belgium was halted after a rat ran onto the pitch

Brennan Johnson found himself performing an unexpected task during Wales' 4-2 World Cup qualifier defeat against Belgium on Monday night - chasing a live rat off the pitch. Cardiff City's head of operations claimed that he had never seen a rat run onto the pitch before at the club's 33,280-seater stadium.

Tottenham winger Johnson was a second-half substitute, but instead of trying to force a comeback for the hosts, he found himself having to chase a rodent off the field of play to ensure the game could continue.

The small animal scurried under the VAR monitor and was never seen again once Johnson hurried it off the side of the pitch after Belgium and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had failed to catch it. League One club Cardiff have since defended their pest control policy.

“It’s something I’ve not seen in my 36 years at Cardiff City,” said Wayne Nash (via PA), the club’s head of operations who also works as a security manager for the Football Association of Wales and Uefa. “We’ve had a...