Vanishing spray at World Cup goes viral

The referee uses the special spray to paint a temporary line 9.15 meters from the free kick spot. [Photo：Screenshot of the game]

Monkey King draws a circle on the ground to erect an impassible barrier to protect his companions against monsters in the Chinese novel Journey to the West.

(ECNS) -- A can of vanishing spray made its debut at the opening Brazil-Croatia match of the FIFA World Cup 2014, and became an immediate hit on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Before a free kick in the first half, the referee pulled a spray can out of a holster and squirted a white line on the field.

He used the special spray to paint a temporary line 9.15 meters from the free kick spot, marking the safe area into which opposing players cannot encroach.

The line made by the water-based spray disappeared one minute later.

Chinese netizens compared the line to the circle drawn by the Monkey King in the Chinese novel "Journey to the West."

Netizens estimated the spray will soon be a hot item on Taobao, the country's biggest online market.