Is This the Worst Own Goal Ever? Watch and Decide
Own goals happen. A mistimed clearance, a miscommunication with the keeper, or just plain bad luck—it’s all part of football. But every now and then, a player delivers an absolute howler that leaves fans, teammates, and even opponents in stunned silence.
Enter Fankaty Dabo, currently on loan at Vitesse from Chelsea. Under pressure in his own half, he made the fateful decision to send the ball back to his keeper. Simple enough, right? Except instead of a safe pass, he lobbed the ball so perfectly (or disastrously) that it sailed over his own goalkeeper’s head and straight into the net—from nearly 40 meters out.
A moment of madness? A complete misjudgment? Whatever you call it, this own goal wasn’t just embarrassing—it was spectacularly bad.
To make matters worse, that blunder opened the floodgates for Vitesse, who went on to concede three more goals in what can only be described as a defensive meltdown.
As for Dabo, let’s just say Chelsea probably isn’t rushing to recall him from his loan spell anytime soon.
An own goal occurs when a player accidentally scores for the opposing team, typically in football (soccer) but also in other sports like hockey, basketball, and even cricket. While often the result of misjudgment or bad luck, own goals can also be deliberate, particularly in match-fixing scandals.
In football, own goals usually happen when a defender misclears the ball or misjudges a pass back to the goalkeeper. While the player responsible is credited with the goal, it doesn’t count toward their personal scoring record. The Laws of the Game prevent own goals from being scored directly from most set pieces, like goal kicks or throw-ins.
FIFA and other governing bodies have specific guidelines for classifying own goals, particularly in cases where a shot deflects off a defender. Major leagues and tournaments often have review panels, such as the Premier League’s Dubious Goals Committee, to determine final credit.
Some own goals have become infamous, such as Andrés Escobar’s in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which tragically led to his murder in Colombia. Others, like the Barbados vs. Grenada match in 1994, were intentionally scored due to unique tournament rules. The fastest recorded own goal was by Pat Kruse, just 8 seconds into a match.
Outside of football, own goals take different forms. In ice hockey, goals deflected off defenders are credited to the last attacking player to touch the puck. In basketball, accidental own baskets are counted for the opposing team but not credited to an individual player. In American football, a team can give up a safety (two points) by mistakenly carrying the ball into their own end zone.
Some sports, like Australian rules football, allow deliberate “own scores” as a defensive strategy, such as rushed behinds. Meanwhile, cricket’s hit wicket dismissal, where a batter accidentally knocks over their own stumps, is sometimes compared to an own goal.
Own goals remain one of the most unpredictable and sometimes humiliating moments in sports, with some going down in history as unforgettable blunders.
Own goals happen. A mistimed clearance, a miscommunication with the keeper, or just plain bad luck—it’s all part of football. But every now and then, a player delivers an absolute howler that leaves fans, teammates, and even opponents in stunned silence. Enter Fankaty Dabo, currently on loan at Vitesse from Chelsea. Under pressure in his…