Moment Anti-Putin protest interrupts England's World Cup final clash as pitch invader wearing 'Stop Putler' t-shirt is rugby-tackled to the ground... by stewards wearing football boots! The Women's World Cup final was disrupted by a pitch invader in the first half Individual managed to get out onto the field before being tackled by stewards READ: Spain vs England - Women's World Cup final - Live scores and updates By Adrian Bishop For Mailonline and Arthur Parashar Published: 11:38, 20 August 2023 | Updated: 12:11, 20 August 2023 e-mail 16 View comments England 's World Cup final with Spain was disrupted after an anti-Putin pitch invader wearing a 'Stop Putler' t-shirt was rugby-tackled to the ground by stewards wearing football boots. The much-anticipated final in Sydney was briefly halted in the 26th minute as stewards rushed onto the pitch at Stadium Australia to escort the anti-war protester away. The intruder, who was also wearing a face mask, was making a political protest against Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin - who launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022 and has attacked the country ever since. The pitch invader was wearing a t-shirt which said 'Stop Putler' comparing the Russian despot to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. It also featured a photo of what looked like a portrait of Putin and Hitler merged into one. On the back of the t-shirt it said 'Free Ukraine and featured the invaded country's national flag. He was within touching distance of England star Lauren Hemp before being tackled to the ground by efficient security. There was a short delay as England waited to take a free-kick but the game got back underway soon after. Minutes after the pitch invasion took place, the Lionesses went a goal down to Spain as they now look to fight back in the second half on their quest for World Cup glory. The BBC's commentary team said that the pitch invader was 'dealt with swiftly', adding: 'They know their rugby round this part of the world, and that was a pretty decent tackle.' It's understood that the stewards were wearing studded football boots to help with grip in the event of a pitch invasion - and it appeared to work. The man who intruded was wearing normal trainers. This is a breaking news story. More to follow. Pitch invader being dragged away by security minutes before Spain score @GMB #FIFAWWC #Lionessess #ENG #ESP #FIFAWomensWorldCup pic.twitter.com/uQvDxZnQ5l — Nitya Rajan (@NityaGRajan) August 20, 2023 A pitch invader managed to disrupt play during the Women's World Cup final on Sunday The individual was quickly apprehended by stewards and removed from the pitch On the back of the t-shirt it said 'Free Ukraine and featured the invaded country's national flag Share or comment on this article: Moment Anti-Putin protest interrupts England's World Cup final clash as pitch invader wearing 'Stop Putler' t-shirt is rugby-tackled to the ground... by stewards wearing football boots! e-mail Add comment Comments 17 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy .