Melbourne Victory midfielder James Troisi had an open goal. He then committed perhaps the worst A-League miss of the century in the Melbourne Derby.
Remember those drills you had as a child, where you had to pass the ball through some cones at varying distances? Troisi apparently never mastered that skill.
Remember taking shots at an open goal to improve accuracy? Troisi apparently struggles with that too.
You know how passing to a stationary target is easier than hitting a moving target? Yeah, Troisi never figured that one out either.
Late in a match against city rival Melbourne City FC, Troisi broke free of the defense with no one near. It was the 98th minute and City keeper Dean Bouzanis, who had pushed forward in search of an equalizer, was nowhere to be found. It was just Troisi and green grass separating him from a late goal to put away the victory.
Troisi, a former Newcastle United player who has also spent time at Atalanta and Juventus, pulled up from 30 yards to shoot in typical Steph Curry fashion. And he missed. Wide. Way Wide.
It’s the type of miss that can haunt a player for years — like Gonzalo Higuain in the World Cup final. Except, at least for Troisi there was a happy ending.
Moments after releasing his ill-fated shot, the referee blew the whistle to signal the match over. The Melbourne Victory had won the Melbourne Derby 2-1 thanks to goals from Kosta Barbarouses and Leory George. Thankfully for Troisi, his awful A-League miss was a laughable moment but not one that harmed his team in the outcome of the match. If only Higuain’s ending had been as happy.
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