A pitch invader broke the tension of the dismal World Cup qualifier match tonight which saw Malta lose 4-0 at Ta’ Qali. In what was arguably Malta’s finest athletic display of the night, two policemen chased down the young prankster and caught him after only a few dozen metres… although it seemed like the young English lad practically handed himself over to them in the end.

Jake Peachey announced his stunt on Twitter, telling his followers he would go live on Instagram. 

Peachey, who looks like he’s in his early 20s, waited for the 69th minute to run onto the stage, hug one of the UK’s football players and remove his top before a couple of Maltese policemen chased him down as the game had to grind to a halt. 

Originally he asked for 400 retweets to carry out the stunt. He only 234 but almost 5,000 people liked his post. 

TVM reported that the young man was questioned by the police but released shortly after. It’s not yet known whether any action will be taken against him.

Some football fans at the stadium seemed to enjoy the invasion and cheered Peachey on as he tried to escape the police. Others booed as he was finally taken away and the game allowed to continue… much to Malta’s misfortune.

Peachey got some solid press coverage from his display, though The Sun did call the boy “daft” in its article.

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Chris Peregin

Christian is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who founded Lovin Malta, a new media company dedicated to creating positive impact in society. He is passionate about justice, public finances and finding ways to build a better future.