Almost an own gull: CPR revives seagull struck in Turkish football game

A player relied on hope and quick thinking when he administered emergency CPR to a seagull after it collided with a football during a match in Istanbul this week, bringing the bird back to life.

The event occurred as the bird, flying low, intersected the trajectory of a clearance from the Istanbul Yurdum Spor goalkeeper in an amateur playoff against Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar, according to a club spokesperson speaking to AFP on Tuesday.

Upon impact with the ground, the team captain dashed to the spot and began basic CPR, compressing the birds chest, as shown in video footage provided to AFP by manager Fatih Buyuk.

"I saw something dropping and recognised it as a seagull. My immediate thought was cardiac massage since it seemed unable to breathe, so I gave it a try," Gani Catan explained to the Anadolu news agency.

Once breathing resumed, he transported it from the field to the medical team, who handled further care.

The seagull sustained an injured wing, though its fate post match remains uncertain.

Even with the valiant effort, Catans side suffered defeat, exiting the playoffs.

Yet the outcome barely troubled him.

"We fell short of the title, but rescuing a life feels truly special. That outweighed the competition."