Football can have its moments of brilliance to inspire awe amongst spectators out of nowhere, but on the other hand it also has its fair share of bizarre moments which cause even the most intense supporters to crack a smile.
The J-League hosted such a ridiculous comedy of errors in the league encounter between Yokohama FM and Urawa Reds, when Yokohama defender Makito Ito scored a incredulous own goal by being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cruising with 3 goals to their name against Urawa in the 31st minute, Yokohama’s backline was breached by a through ball from midfield.
When goalkeeper Powell Obinna Obi stepped out of his designated area to clear the ball, his attempt at the clearance smashed against central defender Ito.
The ball ricocheted off the Japanese defender’s back to find its way into the Yokohama goal in an amusing manner, much to the dismay of the helpless defender and the responsible goalkeeper.
Urawa had got the goal they wanted, in incredible fashion from a distance of thirty yards: although the method involved was honestly not one that they expected.
However bad your Monday is going, at least you didn’t score a 30-yard own goal at the weekend. 🤷♂️
Although Urawa were successful in breaching the Yokohama backline almost by divine intervention, it wasn’t enough to earn them any points from the game as Yokohama went on to win the match by a margin of 6-2.
The result meant that Yokohama went five points clear of their opponents, although having played four more games.
Ito and Obi would have been two very unfortunate players in the home dressing room after the game had the result not gone their way, but the comprehensive manner of victory meant that the own goal was just in a blip in an otherwise successful outing.
