A RUSSIAN Premier League match was interrupted by a SNAKE as ground staff used FORKS to remove it.

The clash between Akhmat Grozny and PFC Sochi lasted just six minutes when the players greeted the officials.

The game in Chechnya was briefly interrupted as ground staff loaded onto the pitch with rakes and forks.

A staff member attempted to force the creeping creature out of the field with his foot.

He then leaned in with an outstretched hand, clearly considering grabbing the potentially dangerous creature.

But eventually he thought about it and used his pitchfork.

The staff member was finally able to balance it on one of the tines of his pitchfork and carry it off the field to a safe place.

While it was a scary few minutes for players and staff alike, fans got to see the fun side.

One of them tweeted: “Football in Chechnya is something else …”

Another – pointing to AC Milan’s summer transfer window – wrote: “They really had a snake on the pitch in Grozny. Interested in seeing the memes.

“I guess the Milan fans will say that Donnarumma and Hakan signed for Akhmat.”

A third added: “A snake on the ground… is that Akhmat’s tactic now?

But Sochi continued to win, taking a 2-0 lead before Akhmat ultimately cut the deficit in half to set up a nervous five-minute final.

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The victory propelled Sochi to sixth place in the standings with just two games in the season, with Akhmat at points level but down to ninth.

Two games into the season, the usual suspects are near the top of the Russian Premier League.

Zenit St Petersburg, Rubin Kazan, Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow all have six out of six possible points.

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