The Portuguese cup final got off to a flying start Sunday as a man riding a drone swooped over the soccer pitch to deliver the match ball. Footage of the incredible futuristic stunt shows the man hovering above the stands on a surfboard-like drone before landing and presenting it to the referee.

The remarkable ball drop happened ahead of the Portuguese Cup final between Benfica and Vitória de Guimarães. Benfica went on to win 2-1. Up until now riding on drones has been reserved for comic book villains, with the stunning entrance bearing strong similarities to Marvel’s Green Goblin. Spiderman’s foe uses a high-tech version of a flying broomstick – known as the Goblin glider – to swoop around New York city.

Soccer matches and drones haven’t always mixed so well. In 2014 a game in Belgrade between Serbia and Albania was abandoned after an unauthorized drone was flown onto the pitch, resulting in violent clashes amongst players and fans. The quadcopter carried an nationalist banner with an image of Greater Albania – including the politically sensitive region of Kosovo which has long been part of Serbia.

Courtesy:RT