Five most bizarre goals in the history of football
What's the story
Football or soccer is the most played sport globally. Other than its awe-inspiring gameplay, the most important element of the sport is to score goals, while some of them turn out to be breathtaking. However, there have been a number of instances when a goal has been scored under controversial circumstances. On the same note, we take a look at some.
Hand of God
Diego Maradona breaks millions of English hearts
Undoubtedly, the first thought that comes to one's mind is Diego Maradona's infamous hand goal scored during the 1986 World Cup against England. The quarter-final tie saw Maradona scoring the opener in the 51st minute, which was scored off his hand as the referee failed to notice it. Later, while Maradona recalled it as 'a revenge', he termed it the 'Hand of God'.
Hand of Frog
Thierry Henry's hand assist helps France Qualify for World Cup
The involvement of hand seems to be a common phenomenon in football. On another instance, this time, it was the Irish fans, who suffered a broken heart. Legendary Frenchman Thierry Henry cost them a spot in the 2010 World Cup, after he assisted team-mate William Gallas with his hand. However, Karma came up with a payback as they were ousted in the group stage.
Tevez offside
Carlos Tevez gets away with an offside goal
After handball, comes the turn of goals scored on offsides. The most controversial offside goal came during the 2010 World Cup, when Argentina's Carlos Tevez scored the opening goal against Mexico. Multiple replays confirmed that Tevez was well offside as the linesman completely missed the call and the referee stood his ground. This further led to the debate of the introduction of Goal-Line Technology.
Bizarre Niang
Senegal's M'Baye Niang scores a bizarre one
This cannot be counted as controversial, but was certainly bizarre. During the 2018 World Cup, Senegal were playing Poland, as the former's M'Baye Niang was out in the sidelines, being treated for an injury. After the referee's permission, he came back to the ground, but Polish players failed to notice him as a back-pass to their goal-keeper was intercepted by him and he scored.
Beach ball mania
Beach ball allows Sunderland to score against Liverpool
In 2009, an EPL clash between Sunderland and Liverpool saw a beach ball flying out inside the box of Liverpool while the play was on. Meanwhile, Sunderland's Darren Bent shot at the goal and scored, but the goal came off a deflection of the beach ball. Moreover, the referee did not call off the goal, leading to a controversy.