Major League Soccer's groundskeepers were forced to repaint the ends of each 18-yard box at Olympic Stadium before Tuesday's Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC, using green spray to cover up pre-existing white lines after match officials deemed the penalty areas too narrow.
Kickoff, expected to take place just after 8 p.m, was delayed by 25 minutes.
The teams didn't require any additional warmups, but the development was unexpected and unwelcome at a venue that's hosted many Impact matches before this marquee matchup.
Upon their arrival at the stadium, referees objected to the penalty-box dimensions, according to the Canadian Press' Neil Davidson.
Eager supporters of both sides watched as the grounds crew hastily covered up the old lines and outlined the new ones. They also used leaf blowers to accelerate the drying process.
Montreal usually plays its home games at the outdoor Saputo Stadium, but the first leg of this conference final was switched to its back-up ground because of the time of year. The city experienced significant snowfall in the days prior to Tuesday's contest, something which also threatened to postpone kickoff.
The roof atop the Big O cannot hold more than three centimetres of snow, though local officials later said there was no accumulation.