This own goal is so bad it deserves a new name
There’s no such thing as a good own goal. But there are varying degrees of badness.
There are bad ones. And very bad ones. Horrible ones. And Sammy Ndjock ones.
On Wednesday, Ndjock took up his usual position between the posts for Minnesota United, a second-tier North American Soccer League team which will soon ascend to Major League Soccer. The 26-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper — who has three caps for his country, went to the 2014 World Cup as a backup and previously played in Turkey’s second division — is the team’s undisputed starter. And therefore he, of course, got the nod in a midseason friendly against English Premier League club Bournemouth.
In the 26th minute, Ndjock plucked a routine bouncing ball from the air and wanted to quickly launch it back into play. He moved from his right and got ready to windmill the ball to a teammate to his left.
And that’s where it all went horribly wrong. Somehow, he managed to sling the ball around his own axis and back into the net behind him. Either the ball stuck to his glove, or he simply got the throw all wrong. But either way, he couldn’t recover the ball as he scampered helplessly after it.
Behold.
We feel sort of bad for Ndjock. He looks like he’s building himself a really solid career. And there’s no chance at all that this isn’t the first thing that pops up when you search him online for the remainder of his natural life. Like, none.
Henceforth, a true howler of an own goal shall be known as a “Sammy Ndjock.”
Sorry, Sammy.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter@LeanderAlphabet.
