AN ITV World Cup commentator was stunned after a helicopter made a close pass over a stadium on its way to landing nearby.
France were facing off with Norway at Gillette Stadium near Boston, Massachusetts, in their final game of the group stage.
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A helicopter gave fans and commentators a scare during a World Cup clash Credit: AP
France’s clash with Norway played host to the bizarre moment Credit: Getty
But ITV‘s Jon Champion got more than just a spectacular showing on the pitch as he watched on from the press seats in the 64,000-seater stadium.
Above the stadium, a private helicopter was descending, on its way to landing next to the venue, which typically plays host to the NFL‘s New England Patriots when not in use for the World Cup.
The aircraft, a Leonardo AW-139, gave the commentator quite a fright, and even left him speechless for a moment in the booth.
When he regained his focus, he explained: “Sorry if I was distracted there, a helicopter has gone flying right over the pitch and came perilously close to hitting the stands.”
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He then added: “It appears to be landing just next to the stadium.”
It is not known who the helicopter belongs to or who it was carrying, but they certainly turned heads in the crowd.
So did the action on the pitch, with the confrontation producing an electric quartet of goals inside the opening 35 minutes alone.
Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show as he fired a magnificent hat-trick into the Norway net inside the opening 33 minutes.
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The three goals were near copies of each other, as the Ballon d’Or winner cut inside and smashed home at the far post.
They were only separated by a stunner from Rangers and former Luton Town star Thelo Aasgaard.
The 24-year-old sent Dayot Upamecano with a deft feint before dragging his effort in at the near post to make it 2-1 at the time.
But any hopes of an upset after Dembele’s treble were eventually quashed by Dembele’s Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Desire Doue, who headed home from close range to wrap up a perfect group stage for France.
