Face planting is literally one of the most simultaneously hilarious and embarrassing things for a human to do. It’s universal. Our faces allow us to interact and empathize like nothing else in the known universe, and when thenyend up flat against the ground with our feet 3 feet above and behind, you have no choice but to laugh or cringe. Case in point, this soccer player face plant.
Santos was playing in the first led of the final of the Copa do Brasil when Nilson found himself with a golden opportunity to score on an open net against Palmeiras.
Santos would not score for the rest of the game. They lost the second leg 1-2 and went to penalties via a 2-2 aggregate score. Now, it would be unfair to put all of the blame for Santos’ loss on Nilson’s miss. Games are full of opportunities, and this single blown one did not prevent Santos from scoring later in the game, or in the penalty shootout that ensued after the second leg ended tied on aggregate. That being said, Nilson seriously f***ed up.
Missing the goal is one thing, but by the time he face planted there was really only one reaction that any Santos fan could have had.
Fear not, Nilson, the internet is full of soccer players making horrible, horrible mistakes (not face planting, that’s something new).
Case in point is this goalkeeper that gets nutmegged and scored on…after he fails horribly trying to pass the ball. I feel like we should say something like, “classic MLS defending,” but I think the damage has been done.
Of course, then there’s the Australian top flight that has the guts to put out a compilation every year of the worst bloopers the league sees that season. This is the definition of self-deprecating.
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