It takes a certain type of person to pull off a panenka penalty. You either need to be an artist like Andrea Pirlo, possess a samba-style flair like Neymar, or have pure uninhibited confidence and technical prowess like Ross Barkley. Hibernian's Jason Cummings has precisely none of the above, but that didn't stop him from giving it a go against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Today we bring you to the Oceania Champions League in order to see some of the most marvelous incompetence you will ever see. The following own goal isn’t just bad, it’s world-class bad. As in you could line up 99% of the players on the planet in this same situation, and they wouldn’t be able to score an own goal.
Goal keepers really aren’t supposed to pull off moves. In fact, they are so not supposed to pull off moves, that when they do they take everyone by surprise and usually work.
Case in point: Simon Mignolet during Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund. Notice how Liverpool’s Mignolet is being closed down hard by Dortmund’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
I did not see this coming at all when I went to review the aftermath of Real Madrid’s shocking loss to Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals, but apparently Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos knocked a tooth out of Wolfsburg full-back Vieirinha’s mouth.
It’s not every day that a gift can manage to piss off an entire country, but it seems that Messi’s gift to the host of the Egyptian television show “Yes I am Famous” has done just that.
Messi donated a pair of football boots to the show in the name of Charity. He did so on live TV by handing them over to host Mona al-Sharqawi. Pretty straight forward, right?
Wrong.
Per the BBC:
A hairy day for Barcelona that included an own goal and ended in a 2-2 draw vs Villareal turned especially bad for one woman when Lionel Messi took a shot in the 18th minute of the game. The shot, a powerful one launched from just outside the 18, flew off target and into the crowd, where it hit a supporter and apparently broke her arm.
It would be unfair to call what is happening to Iker Casillas a downfall. He he’s taken a step down since the days of being known as the greatest goal keeper in the world, but that was always going to happen. Father time is undefeated. No, what he is going through just sucks to see, and at no point has it sucked more than when Casillas’ error against Braga over the weekend.
What is it about terrible tackles that fascinate us so much? Do we actually like violence or is it more like a car crash that we just can't look away from? Maybe we're attracted to controversy or perhaps we can't help but be fascinated by the dark side of our beloved sport, much like villains in movies are often the most memorable characters.
When you’re in the relegation zone, things just don’t come off for you. For one, that’s the reason you’re lodged at the bottom of the table to begin with — your basic inability to to do anything right. For two, being lodged at the bottom takes a toll on your mental well-being, affecting your once professional ability.
Your dog won’t even look you in the eyes anymore, trips to the neighborhood grocer become public persecutions and you can’t remember the last time your own supporters cheered rather than jeered your name on the public announcement system.