Darren Bent’s goal against Liverpool saw the ball deflect off of a beach-ball and go inScoring a goal is the hardest thing to do in football. Scoring a goal when you are not intending to score is perhaps the most ingenious. From slide tackles that forced the ball into the net to crosses that floated into the net, from opposition players hitting the ball into the striker’s face and long-range efforts that were never meant to be, we have them all here in our definitive list of top 10 fluke goals in the world of football.
#10 Vertonghen scores... by mistake
In a 2006 match between Ajax and SC Cambuur, Jan Vertonghen, following an injury to a player, attempted to do the right thing and play the ball back to the SC Cambuur ‘keeper as a sporting gesture – only to accidentally score a wondergoal from 60 yards out!
Vertonghen’s reactions are really priceless! Ajax then allowed the opposition to walk the ball in, as part of another sporting gesture.
#9 Darren Bent and the Beach Ball
We all know the story, but we can always hear it again and again. In a match between Sunderland and Liverpool in 2009, a beach ball found its way onto the playing field and decided to stop right inside the penalty area, a few feet from Pepe Reina.
The ball’s sinister position soon became apparent when a Darren Bent shot hit the beach ball and the ball went in without any trouble, as Reina was distracted by the huge red beach ball. Sunderland were awarded the goal, and to add insult to injury, it was later found out that a young Liverpool fan was the culprit behind the beach ball being thrown onto the pitch.
#8 Tom Cleverley vs Newcastle, 2012
No matter how many times you look at this one, it is still hard to believe that Tom Cleverley meant to score that goal. That simply has to be a cross that was misdirected and ended up curling perfectly in to the top corner.
Cleverley obviously claimed he meant to do that, but we disagree. He is a good player, but not that good.
#7 Tomas Brolin, Leeds United
Ask any Leeds United fans and they’ll tell you Tomas Brolin was probably the worst ever signing made by the club. But then the Swede did have his moments in a Leeds shirt, more precisely his fluke goal in the 1994-95 season.
First the goalkeeper and then the defender contrived to hand Brolin a well-deserved goal.
#6 A 25-yard slide tackle goal
Not for the first time on this list, we have a defender sliding into a tackle and coming away with a goal. It is simply astonishing how the ball travels into the corner of the net, out of the keeper’s reach and onto the scoreboard.
All from a nonchalant sliding tackle. Classic fluke.
#5 The accidental off-the-backside goal
Due to this incident, Victor Hugo ended up being the butt of all jokes. Quite literally. There isn’t much to say, except that even if Hugo tried to re-enact the goal 10000 times, he will probably fail to pull it off.
And that meets our definition of a fluke goal.
#4 Blas Perez wonder-strike
In a match between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps, Blas Perez (FC Dallas) struck a right footed shot from a difficult angle, hoping to put it into the box and help his teammates score.
Little did he know that his cross/shot was so effective, it flew into the net.
#3 Sebastian Langkamp vs Bayer Leverkusen
Slide tackles are awesome. You know what’s even more awesome than a slide tackle? A slide tackle where you win the ball back and send it flying 45 yards into the net.
Just ask Sebastian Langkamp. He did just that in a match against Bayer Leverkusen.
#2 Gaston Diaz\'s cross/shot
Gimnasia midfielder Gaston Diaz lobbed Godoy Cruz keeper Jorge Carranza from more than 30 yards...but did he mean it? Highly doubtful we think, but he sure does celebrate like he intended to.
Tom Cleverley would definitely say he did.
#1 The 80-yard slide tackle goal
This happened in a non-league match a few years ago. The state of the pitch should have been a giveaway. The attacking team lost control of the ball, and one of the defenders came in with a thundering sliding tackle. How thunderous, you ask?
Well, it caused the ball to fly 80 yards to the other end of the field, straight into goal. Now if that’s not a fluke, I don’t know what is.
