Zenit St-Petersburg vs Ludogorets cancelled due to heavy rain, club make highlight reel of pitch-invading ducks instead

Who said friendlies were boring?

(Zenit Football Club)

Just a few years ago, Andre Villas-Boas was the next big thing in football management, winning the Europa League with Porto before taking over at Chelsea and then Spurs.

Now, in a slight fall from grace, he's dealing with duck invasions and torrential rain postponing his team's matches.

In a pre-season friendly with Ludogorets - the Bulgarian side who were Liverpool's group in last season's Champions League - the match was halted not once but twice by a hooligan-esque crowd of ducks that stormed the pitch.

The referee, making full use of his training and his whistle, had to direct the seven ducks off the pitch and get a member of staff to close the advertising boards so that the troublesome six would not return.

Having rid the rather dull game of its most interesting facet, the match was brought to an early conclusion when torrential rain forced the friendly to be cancelled. Not that the news was taken badly by any of the players, who began to run, dive and slide along the water-logged pitch in pure glee.

The ducks had the last laugh, however, with the feathery friends returning to the pitch to indulge in the soggy grass.