In short, yes! Over football’s recorded history a few keepers have had the fortune of scoring from 109 yards out and suffered the ignominy of conceding from the other end of the pitch, with some well-known keepers both scoring and conceding in such a manner.
It’s one of football’s most hilarious and unexpected occurrences, with the keeper at the other end usually misjudging the flight/bounce of the ball. This may make it sound as if it only occurs at lower levels, but some of football’s most competitive leagues have witnessed the hilarity and the horror of a goal from the other end of the pitch.
With The Premier League, International matches, and top flights around the world witnessing this rarity, even highly respected keepers are susceptible to a lapse in judgment.
Neco Martinez
During a World Cup warm-up match between Poland and Colombia on May 30, 2006, he scored a truly remarkable goal. In one of the only examples of such a feat, Martinez held the ball in his hands, in his box, with Colombia 1 goal ahead on the 63-minute mark. There were little grounds for excitement from this position, with the Colombian shaping to launch the ball long.
He would launch the ball longer than expected, with the keeper volleying it from his hands high into the air. It was one of those hoofs that launched the ball so high, an English commentator might claim the ball came back to Earth with “snow atop of it.” The ball arched over the deference, finally bouncing just outside the penalty area.
The combination of the flight of the ball and the height at which it crashed back to Earth, resulted in an almighty bounce. With surprising speed, the ball looped forward, bouncing over a hapless goalkeeper, who seemed to think he had it covered. The eruption of cheers from the Colombian support would quickly shatter this delusion, as Colombia doubled their lead with what some fans might call, a freebie.
The keeper in goal for Poland that day was Tomasz Kuszczak, who would go on to make 32 appearances for Man United under Alex Ferguson.
Tim Howard
In the biggest league in the world, Tim Howard would embarrass Adam Bogdan in the Bolton goal. Whilst this one was technically not a goal kick, it was from his own box and there are only so many legitimate goals in this manner from keepers. It does prove that scoring from goal kicks is absolutely possible even at English football’s highest level, given the right circumstances.
On an incredibly windy day in Merseyside, 2012, Tim Howard found himself faced with a routine clearance. The ball gently rolled towards him on the edge of the box, and in typical fashion for keepers of the time, he absolutely leathered it up the field, some would say aimlessly.
Whatever the thinking behind it, or whether the wind caught hold of the ball farm more than Howard was expecting, it would create huge problems for opposing No.1 Bogdan, at the other end. Aided by the windy conditions, the ball caught Bogdan in no man’s land, as it bounced just inside the Bolton penalty box, bounding over his opposing number, who dramatically tried to recover.
Howard was stone-faced as the ball hit the back of the net, understanding the part the conditions played, and likely feeling sorry for his fellow goalkeeper at the other end. In spite of this, his teammates sprinted to Howard to celebrate.
In even more embarrassing fashion, this would be the only goal Everton scored, despite taking the lead in such improbable fashion, they not only failed to build upon it but collapsed miserably, as they sunk to a 2-1 defeat, with the egg firmly on the Everton outfielders faces.
Leandro Requena
Here’s the example you’ve been hoping for…
Playing in the Chilean top flight, the 3rd best league in South America, Requena helped his Cobresal side to a 3-1 win over Colo-Colo in unheard-of fashion.
Placing the ball down on his 6-yard box, Requena spotted the keeper off his line, but instead of scoring his initial intentions were to play his strikers in on goal. After swinging his pendulum of a left foot and sending the ball upfield, he realised he’d made a mistake and sent it too far.
With the Colo-Colo keeper about 30 yards away from his goal line, the keeper was ill-positioned to deal with the goal-kick-cum-shot as it, much like the other 2 examples, bounced over the hapless keeper.
To add to the other keepers suffering, he would slip as he attempted to chase the ball, making the goal all the more embarrassing for him.
It could be a World Record for the Longest Goal, with the Chilean netting the strike in March of this year (2023).
Speaking after the game, Requena would explain the altitude of the stadium as a likely factor behind this freak goal, with the pitch 2400 meters above sea level.
“I wanted to take the kick quickly as we have done so many times at altitude, to try to catch the rival off guard and it came out a little stronger than normal,” Requena told Radio Bio Bio.
“The first thing I did as soon as the ball left my foot was hold my head because there were two players in a clear position to counterattack and I realized that it had gone long.
“When I saw the bounce made it difficult for Brayan and it went past him, I thought the ball could go in.”
