Fans left baffled by optical illusion save during football match

One of the biggest games in Argentina created an unexpected moment when fans witnessed a free kick turn into an optical illusion that defied the laws of physics.

The video clip shows an attempted goal in which the ball appears to bounce off the top bar of the goal post, yet somehow ended up in the hands of the goalkeeper.

The unique event occurred on the River Plate vs Boca Juniors football match last Sunday and the clip quickly went viral.

The original post has been taken off X due to copyright, however the clip can still be viewed online from a number of different sources, including The Independent and other individual social media accounts.

The optical illusion went viral on social media / @‌BomboneraTears/X

Viewers have tried analysing the video frame-by-frame, trying to figure out where the mysterious ghost ball comes from before it ends in the hands of former Manchester United keeper, Sergio Romero.

One sports fan posted the video captioning: 'Have watched this 50 times: did it hit the crossbar or did Sergio Romero catch it… or both?!' which caused a rush of users to share their thoughts.

'For some reason there's some weird ghost ball that appears just before the shot is caught. It's like some semi-visible thing smacks the crossbar. But then it disappears again. I've added arrows and the time so you can slow down and watch,' the user explained in a comment to their shared clip.

Some have dubbed it 'a glitch in the football Matrix', whilst others theorise that 'it’s something to do with the advertising hoarding behind. A trick of the eye.'

The mysterious ghost ball was later confirmed to be a bird / @‌BomboneraTears/X

Meanwhile, another fan presumed it was just 'a light off the Camera'.

One person believed it to be another ball being thrown: 'I saw this! I thought it was a ball being thrown on the pitch from behind, to the Boca left of the goals. How strange!'

After further analysis, others have shared wider angles of the footage. As the white object continues to move after the ball has been caught, viewers are able to confirm a flying bird's role in the illusion.

Even with the explanation, a rare event was lucky to be caught on camera - one of those perfect-timing shots.