Even the best goalscorers in the business have failed to hit the back of the net with an empty net staring right in front of them. Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs got past the entire Arsenal backline and the goalkeeper, only to blast the ball over the goal – inadvertently, Sir Alex Ferguson would later vent out his frustration on David Beckham (the flying boot incident) in the dressing room as United lost 0-2.
This match is no FA Cup and the rivalry between the two teams not nearly half as bitter as it was between United and Arsenal in the early 2000s. Going by his touch on the ball, the player is no Giggs either. The setting is a local match in Greece and the attacker takes control of a loose ball. With an unmanned net crying out for the ball to be into it, the player, deliberating as much as a surgeon would before slicing a tumour, stumbles. The ball is smuggled by the defence and the chance goes begging.
One can hear the “oooohs” and the “aaaahs” from the sparse crowd. It was the sound of sheer disbelief. There is no doubt that this clip would be replayed in innumerable video packages in the decades to come. Some people have quipped that that “it takes a brave man to be a goalkeeper”. Looks like the life of a goalscorer is no different.