LAURA BASSETT’S horrible own goal in stoppage-time in Edmonton yesterday proved the killer blow to England’s attempts to reach a first ever Women’s World Cup final.
It was a cruel way for the Lionesses to bow out of the competition in Canada. The nature of the way it came about and the timing has led to suggestions it was the best (albeit worst) ever own goal ever to have been recorded.
Here Northern Echo Sport looks back at some of Bassett’s rivals for the costliest own goal.
Paul Parker - England v West Germany
The history books show that Andreas Brehme put West Germany ahead in the 1990 World Cup semi-final against England, but does anyone remember this as anything other than a Paul Parker OG? Parker charged out to meet Brehme's low free-kick, which may not even have been on target, only for the ball to loop unnaturally up his back and arc over Peter Shilton. The Germans won on penalties and England have not come as close to a trophy since.
Jamie Pollock - Manchester City v QPR
The penultimate game of the 1997/98 season was do or die for City, who needed victory to avoid being sucked into the third tier of English football for the first time. Pollock, a recent signing by the club from Middlesbrough, produced an effort to match the occasion - running back towards his own keeper, skilfully flicking the ball over an opponent's head before craning his neck and heading farcically into the City net. The club were relegated while the rest of the country laughed.
Delfi Geli - Liverpool v Alaves
Liverpool's UEFA Cup win over Spaniards Alaves in 2001 was a goal-fest, with the score tied at 4-4 in extra-time. With energy levels sapped, neither side had it in them to produce the decisive 'golden goal' until left-back Geli stepped up in the 27th minute of injury-time, nodding Gary McAllister's free-kick past a despairing Martin Herrera.
Des Walker - Tottenham v Nottingham Forest
The 1991 FA Cup final might best be remembered for Paul Gascoigne's early exit but it was settled by Des Walker putting the ball into his own net for a 2-1 Spurs win. That Gary Mabbutt was on hand to pressure Walker into the mistake was fitting, with the defender having made a similar error in the 1987 final.
Damien Duff - Newcastle v Aston Villa
Asked by then coach Alan Shearer to fill in at left-back on the final, relegation-deciding game of the 2008/09 season, Duff had a nightmare. He got a deflection on Gareth Barry's 38th-minute strike and watched as it beat Steve Harper, resulting in a 1-0 reverse and the dreaded drop.
Jerome Boateng - Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen
A relatively innocuous contribution at the time, just nine games into the 2012/13 Bundesliga season. But without Boateng's own-goal Leverkusen would not have won the match and inflicted the only defeat of what was a near perfect season for Bayern and what should have been an invincible one.
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