5 Strangest Football Matches of All Time

#1 Barbados vs Grenada (1994)

Barbados defender Terry Sealy (left) and goalkeeper Horace Stoute (right) passing the ball before scoring an intentional own goal.

Scoring an own-goal is considered a grave blunder by a player; however, when Barbados met Grenada in the 1994 Caribbean Cup qualifier, an own goal came to the rescue of the Barbadians due to a strange rule implemented by the organizers wherein no match could end as a draw.

An unusual form of golden goal rule was adopted by the organizers wherein the first goal in the extra-time not only won the match but also counted as double. The game between Barbados and Grenada started with both sides having a chance to proceed to the main tournament. Barbados required a victory by a margin of two goals or more which they had till the 83rd minute when they were leading by 2-0. However, Grenada scored late in the game to make it 2-1 and Barbados had only seven minutes to find the net and restore their two-goal advantage.

Barbados made few attempts to score but in the 87th minute they changed their strategy and made a rather 'smart' move under the circumstances. The defender Terry Sealy and goalkeeper Horace Stoute passed the ball between each other and finally, Sealy intentionally scored an own goal in order to force extra-time wherein they could score a golden goal which would fetch them two goals thereby restoring their requisite two-goal advantage.

With the scoreline at 2-2, Grenada now had the option to put the ball into any of the two sides in the remaining regulation time. The final few minutes of the match were nothing short of a hilarious spectacle as Grenada was trying to score an own goal and Barbados were defending on both sides.

The Barbadians were successful in defending both sides and extra-time followed. Barbados scored in the extra-time and their winning "golden goal" was counted as double making the final scoreline 4-2 in favor of Barbados, ensuring their qualification into the 1994 Caribbean Cup.

The Grenadian manager James Clarkson was surely enraged by the peculiar "golden goal" rule and said -

"I feel cheated. The person who came up with these rules must be a candidate for a madhouse. The game should never be played with so many players running around the field confused. Our players did not even know which direction to attack: our goal or their goal. I have never seen this happen before. In football, you are supposed to score against the opponents to win, not for them".