Football has experienced several disastrous substitutions that, were initially intended for the best, but ended up being the worst ever seen.
Players across the globe have displayed some calamitous performances that cause their teams a dilemma.
Milan Pavkov entered the field for Red Star’s match against Maccabi Haifa in the 78th minute and scored an own goal in the 90th. Surely, a more disastrous replacement has never occurred before.
A Champions League playoff that was headed into overtime with a 4-4 aggregate score was ended by Pavkov’s dreadful own goal.
Of course, what constitutes a sporting disaster is subjective, so we’ll let you decide whether the examples below are better or worse.
Imagine that Bolivia is playing in its first World Cup since 1950 and that Bolivia is facing Germany in the tournament’s opening match.
Despite being the national superstar, you are starting from the bench due to a knee injury you sustained months ago. Finally, with your team trailing 1-0, you are replaced in the 79th minute.
The ever-adorable Lothar Matthäus tackles you with a waving arm four minutes and two touches later, and you kick him after play has stopped. innocuous, unquestionably deserving, yet unnecessarily irritable.
The official removes you without asking for anything… Bolivian Marco Etcheverry was barred from the World Cup after being suspended for the final two games of the group stage and Bolivia’s defeat.
2013: Rory Fallon of St. Johnstone was dismissed 35 seconds after entering the game for elbowing Michael Hector of Aberdeen.
When certain understudies played memorable roles in the Battle of Bramall Lane in 2002, the term “ouch” was all the rage.
The strange situation of the ineligible player follows next. Manny Omoyinmi came on as a replacement for West Ham in the final eight minutes of extra time in the Worthington Cup quarterfinal against Aston Villa in the 1999-2000 season. “West Ham triumphed on penalties following a 2-2 tie.
Omoyinmi had participated in the competition for Gillingham earlier in the season and was therefore ineligible, hence the game had to be replayed. West Ham was defeated 3-1 in the replay.
Earlier this year, Didier Deschamps substituted Jonathan Clauss in the 79th minute of France’s Nations League match against Croatia to get his team across the finish line.
Andrej Kramaric was fouled in the area four minutes later, and the striker scored Croatia’s equalizer by converting the resulting penalty.
