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Kids Soccer Team Called 'Lions' Faces Off With Real-Life Lion In Tug-Of-War

1010 WINS  — The internet is an amazing place. After all of the hype about Michael Phelps racing a shark, the end product was a pretty big letdown. Phelps wound up competing against a CGI animal, but luckily the internet presented us with something even better.

The Foots Cray Lions Junior Football Club was visiting the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, England when something truly 'cray' happened.

Related: New Jersey Family Collects 1,000 Soccer Cleats For Needy Kids In Haiti

The Lions soccer team were able to play tug of war with a real-life lion to help raise awareness for World Lion Day, which takes place on August 10th.

The Lions team with their new friend (Big Cat Sanctuary)

The lion, named Kasanga, "demonstrated the sheer strength and power of the world's most iconic apex predator with supreme ease," wrote the Big Cat Sanctuary in a Facebook post on Thursday.

See also: 'Soccer In The City' Podcast: NYCFC Picks Up 4 Points Vs. Top Teams

The sanctuary was able to get the 475-pound lion to compete in the game by attaching a piece of meat to the end of the rope. Despite the efforts of 7 teammates and 3 adults, the fight seemed like a tie.

"It was lots of fun and reasonably well balanced," wrote the sanctuary. "Kasanga really didn't look as though he was putting in too much effort."

The sanctuary wants to raise awareness because the population of African lions has dropped by over 40% in the past two decades.

Regardless of the outcome of the tug of war, we'd be lion if we didn't say it was a great event for a great cause!

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