“Sorry to lower the tone but curiosity got the better of me: last week in Peru, Sebastian Muñoz was sent off for appearing to urinate at the side of the pitch, while in Sweden in 2016, Adam Lindin Ljungkvist was given a second yellow card for ‘unsportsmanlike’ behaviour when he audibly broke wind. Are there any other examples of players being given their marching orders for bodily functionality?” marvels Dave Payn.
Let’s beginning with a little house cleaning. We have not consisted of spitting, due to the fact that Rudi Völler has suffered enough, yet we have actually widened the concern to consist of unpunished acts of biology, partially so we can begin with one of the most popular egestion of all. Gary Lineker really did not get a yellow card throughout his job, don’t bother a red, not also in England‘s opening up suit of the 1990World Cup “I tried to tackle someone, stretched and relaxed myself and erm …” he stated in 2010. “You can see myself rubbing the ground like a dog trying to clean it. It was the most horrendous experience of my life.”
At the very same competition, Argentina‘s back-up goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea— whose magnificent penalty-saving ventures were the major factor a bad group got to the last– established a not likely superstitious notion. He required to have a tinkle prior to their shootout versus Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals and did so as quietly as feasible. When Goycochea conserved the last 2 charges, his understanding of causation went crazy.
“There was another shootout in the semi-final against Italy so I went again and we won again. It was my lucky charm and I went before every shootout. I was very subtle, nobody complained.” Goycochea conserved Italy’s last 2 charges, from Roberto Donadoni and Aldo Serena, with Diego Maradona finishing the allegory from a terrific elevation.
The Stuttgart caretaker Jens Lehmann reportedly paid homage to Goycochea behind the goal throughout a Champions League suit in 2009. “I thought he handled it very expertly,” stated the club’s supervisor of sporting activity. “It was a tricky situation … it reminded me of the Tour de France – sometimes there are simply no options.”
Sometimes there are lots of options, yet they’re all a little bit dull. In 2011, Bristol Rovers’ Jordan Goddard made his first-team launching as an injury-time alternative in an FA Cup connection versusCorby Town An celebration to remember with satisfaction, were it except the reality he did away with any type of pre-debut nerves near an edge flag while heating up. “‘I’ve never seen anything like it,” Corby follower James Crawford informed theSun “He was doing stretches, then put his hands in his shorts and pulled himself out.”
In 2016, Middlesbrough protector Luke Ayling, after that of Bristol City, was outlawed from the Cheltenham Festival after beingcaught with his flies down A number of years later on, a Middlesbrough advocate went across the exchange line by including his very own mixer to a canteen coming from the QPR caretakerAlex Smithies A comparable occurrence took place in an FA Trophy suit in 2022– yet this time around the Warrington Town caretaker Tony Thompson saw it take place and faced the criminal, an act of vigilante justice for which he was sent.
In 2020, Coleraine’s Eoin Bradley was given a six-match ban for doing the required prior to extra-time in an Irish Cup semi-final versusBallymena Mansfield’s Adi Yussuf obtained 5 suits fordivesting himself at the back of a stand in 2016 Blackfield & & Langley goalkeeper Connor Maseko really did not need to await retrospective penalty. He was provided a straight red when he sprinkled a bush throughout an FA Cup certifying rounded video game versus Shepton Mallet in 2022.
And while it has virtually absolutely nothing to do with the concern, we can not do without pointing out dear old Barry Fry’s effort to damage menstruation of St Andrew’s by lightening himself on all 4 edge flags. We have actually covered this in the past, but it’s well worth revisiting.
Why trouble?
“Which players have scored Premier League hat-tricks and ended up on the losing side?” asks Ike Proud.
The last 22 Premier League hat-tricks have actually all been racked up in triumph, returning to Leandro Trossard’s for Brighton in a 3-3 draw at Anfield in October 2022. To locate a really useless hat-trick, you need to go back to 2007 when Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz racked up all their objectives ina 5-3 defeat at Wigan Marcus Bent racked up a much more significant hat-trick for the home side.
In all there have actually been 5 Premier League hat-tricks in loss. The initially 2 were racked up a male associated with radiance in a bad group:Matthew Le Tissier The suits were Oldham 4-3 Southampton on the last day of the 1992-93 period– the video game that maintained the Latics up and delegated Crystal Palace– and Southampton 3-4 Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the 1995-96 period. Le Tissier’s state of mind really did not enhance when he was reserved late on for striking back to a negative deal with by Ian Woan.
In the very same period, Coventry’s Dion Dublin racked up all their objectives in a 4-3 loss atSheffield Wednesday And at the beginning of 1996-97, Dwight Yorke could not quit Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle pounding Aston Villa 4-3 in a Monday evening thriller. That was it till Santa Cruz in 2007, though there have actually been a lot more current instances in several of the various other large European organizations. Here’s a choice:
Serie A, 2011-12 Napoli 6-3 Cagliari (Larrivey 3)
La Liga, 2012-13 Real Madrid 4-3 Real Sociedad (Xabi Prieto 3)
Serie A, 2017-18 Fiorentina 3-4 Lazio (Veretout 3)
La Liga, 2017-18 Levante 5-4 Barcelona (Coutinho 3)
Bundesliga, 2021-22 Borussia Dortmund 3-4 VfL Bochum (Haaland 3)
La Liga, 2023-24 Girona 4-3 Atl ético Madrid (Morata 3)
If you’re interested, and the reality you have actually obtained this much recommends you are, we have actually searched in the past at gamers winding up on the shedding side in spite of racking up 4 objectives.
Bottoms up
“On 23 August, bottom club Drogheda United defeated Sligo Rovers 7-0 in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The match was their 28th of a 36-game season. Excluding the first few weeks of the season, when a strong team might find themselves bottom, has the team in last place ever won by a bigger margin?” asks Colm Kearns.
Chris Roe’s magic Football League data source has actually divulged a number of instances from the remote past. In November 1934, in the old Division One, Huddersfield connected mid-table Liverpool 8-0. Both groups were playing their 14th organization video game of the period (of 42). Huddersfield completed the period in 16th and prevented transfer fairly conveniently.
The most significant triumph, definitely in England, originates from the 1892-93 period. Newton Heath (later on to come to be Manchester United) were lower after 6 video games when they devitalized fourth-placed Wolves 10-1. Thanks additionally to Mike Slattery for that a person. Newton Heath completed base, although they additionally walloped Derby 7-1 later on in the period. They prevented transfer by winning a playoff versus Small Heath (a forerunner of Birmingham City), yet dropped the adhering to period.
More current instances in English football consist of Burnley 5-0 Sheffield United (Premier League, December 2023), Derby 6-2 Southampton (Division One, May 1991; Derby’s just win in the last 23 video games that period) and Brighton & & Hove Albion 5-0 Hartlepool in the old Division Three in February 1997. The margin of that triumph inevitably maintained Brighton in the Football League: they finished second from bottom because of racking up 53 objectives to Hereford’s 50.
Knowledge archive
“I vaguely recall hearing that Shay Given has a special bottle of water he puts in his goal before every match,” recalled Damien Hensley in 2007 “Is this really true?”
Well, Damien, according to the guy himself, it was. Prior to every video game he played, the Republic of Ireland caretaker positioned a vial of Lourdes divine water at the rear of his objective as a fortunate beauty. “I carry it in my kit bag and it goes everywhere with me,” he informed the Irish News of the World in 2002. Apparently, the water brought with it powers that numerous Roman Catholics credit the Lourdes springtime, where phantoms of the Virgin Mary initially showed up in 1858. Given additionally took an image of his late mommy any place he goes. “He’s been doing it since he was small,” disclosed his dadSeamus “I don’t know how much he remembers her because he was so young when she died, but he doesn’t want to forget about her.” Read more …
Can you assist?
“Is Michael Olise the first English-born player to turn out for the senior side of another ‘major footballing power’?” marvelsEddie Eyers [For the sake of simplicity, let’s keep it to teams that have won the World Cup – Ed.]
“Morecambe have started their League Two campaign with five consecutive 1-0 defeats. Is this the longest run with the same result and score at the start of a season, or even at any point?” asks Gareth Thomas (and lots of others).
Now that San Marino have finished their 140 video game winless run that has the lengthiest winless run in International football?
— Sam Clay (@SamClay 2708) September 10, 2024
“Everton were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth despite being 2-0 up after 86 minutes. Has a team ever been two goals ahead so late in a top-flight game and still lost?” asks Shaun Tooze.
“A friend recently brought to my attention that Luka Peruzovic, who won the 1982-83 Uefa Cup with Anderlecht, is the brother of WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff,” notesJack Hayward “Do any other footballers have familial links to professional wrestling?”
