A jaw-dropping twist of fortune decided the victor of a Thai soccer match on Saturday, Oct. 21, when a penalty shot that obviously missed its mark found its way into the net the roundabout way.
The match between Bangkok Sports School and Angthong School ended 2-2 in its allotted time and went into a penalty shootout. Neither team, however, was able to gain the upper hand.
The scoreboard read 19-19, when a Bangkok Sports School player sent the ball flying towards the center top of the goal. It hit the crossbar and bounced high into the air. The goalie darted toward his teammates in a bout of celebratory thrill. The ball hit the ground and bounced up. Not straight up though, but up and toward the goal. At that moment the goalie realized what was about to happen. He tried to run back but was way too far away now to stop the ball, which, at a rather casual pace, curved into the goal. The crowd went wild.
Angthong School failed its next penalty shot, letting Bangkok Sports claim victory in the qualifying round of the 7-Ball Student Football Championship.
Though the goal was indeed extraordinary, it wasn’t unprecedented. A similar situation happened years ago, reportedly in Italy.
In fact, soccer’s history is littered with hilariously unexpected goals.
