Ryan Reynolds Says Big Wrexham FC Win Was Almost as Good as 'the Birth of My Kids'

Wrexham's "dramatic" win — on a last-second save by goalie Ben Foster — puts them one step closer to the team's first league promotion in more than a decade

Ryan Reynolds called Wrexham's dramatic 3-2 win over Notts County on Monday "the most dramatic thing I've ever seen in my life."

The soccer team, owned by Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, won the game on a last-second save by goaltender Ben Foster in a moment described by sports publications around the world as "epic" and something ripped straight out of "Hollywood."

The nail-biting win put Wrexham firmly into first place with just four games remaining in its season, needing a top-place finish in order to get promoted to English football's next highest league, according to CNN.

"Aside from the birth of my kids, this day was up there for me, emotionally," Reynolds, who has four kids with wife Blake Lively, told The Athletic after the game. "Everything about this sport and the way the sport is handled here, with the pyramid system — promotion and relegation — that creates stakes like nothing else."

Related:Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Cheer on Wrexham AFC in London with Rob McElhenney, David Beckham

The drama began early in the second half when back-to-back goals from strikers Paul Mullin and Jacob Mendy put Wrexham on top 2-1. After Notts County tied the game, Wrexham's Elliot Lee put the storybook football club on top in the 78th minute when he scored on a defensive error and went sliding on his knees in front of the frenzied crowd to celebrate the goal.

Then Foster's moment came. The former Manchester United goalie — who recently came out of retirement to aid Reynold's squad after their starting goalie got injured — dove to his right and barely got his hand on a penalty shot, securing the win as his team mobbed him in front of the net.

"The owners came in afterwards and they were buzzing," Foster told The Athletic. "I got a kiss on the lips from Rob. Fully on the lips. And Ryan called me a 'double-handsome bastard'. I'll take that all day long from someone like Ryan, who is so handsome himself."

McElhenney tweeted after the game: "I can't believe there was a time when I thought football was boring."

Related:Blake Lively Plays a Joke on Fan at Wrexham AFC Game She Attended with Husband Ryan Reynolds

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Reynolds, 46, and McElhenney, 45, bought the team in 2021, and their now-famous ownership became the subject of the FX's 2022 documentary Welcome to Wrexham.

The club is currently in the fifth English football division and vying for a promotion into the country's top-four leagues, which is known as the Football League. Wrexham has been relegated outside the top-four leagues since 2008 after 87-straight years competing in the Football League.

The third oldest football club in the world, Wrexham is now one step closer to returning to the fourth division on the heels of Foster's save.

Foster told The Athletic that Reynolds and McElhenney "were over the moon" after Monday's match.

"To be honest, they are probably like the rest of us, worn out and tired," he said. "But it's great to see how much it means to Rob and Ryan."

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