Goals are source of results as well as entertainment for supporters across the globe. Goals can be thunderbolts, stunners, absolute beauties, cool finishes and the adjectives can go on. There are two distinct finishes seen in the game, one that gets the team closer to victory and one that gets the opponent closer to a result. Own goals can be the biggest embarrassment for top flight footballers. Some of the own goals are plain unfortunate whereas there are ones that are just outright funny. Some of the these funny incidents live with the players for the rest of their careers.Picture this, in an attempt to clear the ball the player takes a massive hoof at it and instead of clearing it well the ball ricochets off another player to trickle into the back of the net. I guess you have seen such funny incidents. We look at 10 funniest all time own goals scored in football.
#10 Jan Lecjaks
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Teams: Partizan Belgrade v Anderlecht
Year: 2010
Fun Quotient: That’s what you call a sweet finish
The 2010 Champions League qualifier between the two teams was an entertaining 2-2 draw. However, one player who would be embarrassed even now after seeing the highlights is Lecjaks. Nicknamed the "new Marek Jankulovski", Lecjaks has been a hot prospect in Czech Republic for a few years. He is highly rated for his left foot and it was on show in that qualifier. However, as he looked to clear a dangerous attack that was building from the right, instead of hitting the top tier in the stand, Lecjaks smacked the ball into the roof of the net, giving keeper Silvio Proto no chance. His own goal was definitely one of the sublime finishes of 2010-2011.
#9 Lee Dixon
Teams: Arsenal vs Coventry City
Year: 1991
Fun Quotient: Not a good time for a back pass
Arsenal was famous for their defensive backline in the 90’s. None personified it more than Dixon. He was one of the pillars of the backline that was capable of keeping attacking teams at bay. However, what transpired in the game against Coventry City made him look foolish till date. Having received the clearance from Coventry’s keeper, Dixon seemed to be looking for a pass when lightning struck and he decided to lob the ball towards the keeper. Not knowing the position of the keeper, the back pass/lob sailed over the keeper’s head into an empty net handing Coventry a famous win at Highbury.
#8 Jamie Pollock
Teams: Manchester City vs QPR
Year: 1998
Fun Quotient: You need all the tricks in the book to score an exquisite own goal
Back in the 90’s, City was a team slugging it out in the second tier of English football, trying to fight their way back into the top. In 1998, City was fighting it out with QPR to avoid being demoted to the third tier and they needed a victory to survive. But as luck would have had it they did get relegated and QPR were saved. Thanks to Pollock who came up with a sublime finish that any striker would have been proud of. The only difference was it was a finish in his own goal which cost City the match. He was later voted 'The most influential man of the last 2,000 years' by QPR fans.
Such was the importance of his own goal.
#7 Peter Enkelmann
Teams: Aston Villa vs Birmingham City
Year: 2002
Fun Quotient: Look before it’s too late
When a defender passes the ball to the keeper, he is expected to spray the ball into space and help in changing the direction. This requires sharpness of the mind, reading of the game, concentration, sure footedness and most importantly awareness. If you are not mentally aware on the field strange things can happen and Ekelmann learnt it the hard way in a derby match. When Mellberg decided to throw the ball to Enkelmann from a throw in, he expected Enkelmann to hoof the ball forward. But Enkelmann had other ideas and he completely missed the ball which trickled into an empty net. Had the goalkeeper failed to touch the ball the goal coming straight from a throw in it wouldn't have counted. But he did, just enough.
#6 Franck Queudrue
Teams: Bastia v RC Lens
Year: 2001
Fun Quotient: Volleying is not everything, direction also counts
When your team is cruising to a 3-0 victory, as a defender all you would want is to shut the game out and get the clean sheet. Queudrue, though had other plans. His rise to fame could be the spectacular own goal he managed from almost 30 yards out. An aimless pass from Bastia’s player brought the ball towards Queudrue. In a typical forward style he connected a sweet volley with his left foot that sent the ball beyond the keeper into the goal. It was a spectacular finish albeit at the wrong end.
#5 Pavol Durica
Teams: FC Fehervar v Debrecen DVSC
Year: 2008
Fun Quotient: Sit back and enjoy a perfect penalty
The Hungarian league is not a sought after league nor would it ever witness any major spotlight. However, 2008 changed it all when the match between Fehervar and Debrecen went on to become the most watched match from the league on social media. Why? It was all due to a certain Durica who scored an outrageous goal from the spot. One would ask so what, a lot of players have done it. Well to start off with, it was a rebound effort after the goal keeper had successfully thwarted the penalty taker. Most importantly, it was a goal scored against his own team’s goalkeeper. The reaction from him and his team mates told it all. The own goal would have hopefully taught the other players how to actually slot a penalty home.
#4 Djimi Traore
Teams: Liverpool vs Burnley
Year: 2005
Fun Quotient: Traore teaches how to waltz into the goal
Traore’s built a reputation at Liverpool for two things, one because he won a Champions League medal with Liverpool and the other was for waltzing in an own goal in the FA Cup. Looking to intercept and clear an attack coming from the left, Traore back flipped the ball into his own net leaving the keeper completely stranded. Of course he made up for that howler with an absolutely smashing striker few years later for Seattle Sounders. After the hilarious own goal Traore could only sing Michael Jackson’s “Blame it on the Boogie”.
#3 Festus Baise
Teams: Sun Hei vs Citizen Hong Kong
Year: 2011
Fun Quotient: Scissor kick can be spectacularly funny too
Reverse Scissor kick? No. Seriously? This would definitely be running in anyone’s head after seeing the video. If this was at the other end of the of the pitch he would be winning plaudits (even Zlatan Ibramovic would have been proud of this) but since it was at the wrong end of the pitch it got all the wrong credits. Baise had the last laugh though, as Sun Hei went on to win the match 3-2. He will still go down in the history books as being the scorer of one of the most technically great own goals. The video says it all.
#2 Chris Brass
Teams: Bury vs Darlington
Year: 2006
Fun Quotient: Kick the ball or break your nose you get a goal anyway!
One of the funniest goals ever scored in the history of the game was courtesy Chris Brass. Brass was subject to what is called “double trouble” as his attempted clearance smacked into his own face and the ball rebounded into his own net in an embarrassing fashion. If that humiliation wasn’t enough he also ended up with a broken nose much to the joy of the supporters.
#1 Keisuke Shimizu
Teams: Oita Trinita vs Albirex Niigata
Year: 2013
Fun Quotient: Watch out for the rear end
One of the hallmarks of great counter attacking teams is that the attack starts from the goalkeeper’s quick thinking and quick feet. Generally failed set pieces are seen as opportunities for the keeper to kick start a fast counter attack.
Maybe that was what Shimizu had in mind. But fate had different things planned for him. Shimizu made a good goalkeeping play by catching the opponents’ cross into his penalty area. It was the chance for him to kick start an attack and he did exactly that by trying to kick the ball upfield as early as possible. Alas! He didn’t comprehend that his own team mate Tatsuya Tanaka would become the butt of own goal jokes. The ball that Shimizu had kicked hit Tanaka’s rear end and ricocheted straight into the unguarded goal. Talk about counter attack when it is so simple to award a goal to an opponent.
