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Former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who currently plies his trade for Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart, recently set an unlikely record. The Greek defender scored a 48-meter own goal during his side's German Cup clash against Paderborn.
After receiving the ball near the touchline, the central defender passed it towards his goalkeeper, Florian Muller. However, the ball ended up in the back of Stuttgart's net. With only three minutes played in the game, it was an unlikely start for the visitors.
It was an unlikely start for Pellegrino Matarazzo's team. They, however, turned proceedings around. Gil Dias' 86th-minute equalizer and Serhou Guirassy's goal in injury time helped Stuttgart reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The club's sporting director, Fabian Wohlgemuth, told Sky TV after the match (via Daily Cannon):
“It was a memorable start with the own goal. A real setback. Konstantinos will be telling his grandchildren about it.”
Mavropanos joined the German side from Arsenal for a fee of €3.2 million in the summer. He joined the Gunners back in 2018, for €2.1 million. The Greek, however, didn't make a single appearance for the club after Mikel Arteta took over.
When will Arsenal return to action?
Arsenal will take the field next on February 11 as they host Brentford in the Premier League. Everton handed the Gunners a shock defeat in their latest game. Sean Dyche's team emerged victorious with a scoreline of 1-0 at Goodison Park.
The loss marked Arteta's side's second in the league this season. After the game, Arteta was quizzed about what he expects from the team in the next game. He replied (via the Gunners' official website):
"I want the team to know how much I love them. I love them much more now than three hours ago, a week ago, month ago, three months ago. It’s very easy to be next to the players when they are winning and performing. This is the moment I love my players more, the staff more and now we stick together."
