This Vietnamese goalkeeper had it all under control. A long ball played forward, he thought he’d just stroll 30 yards from his goal and clear the ball a la Manuel Neuer. Simple, right?
Or not.
Turns out, if you level your last defender, the other team is likely to score. Thailand did just that in a 3-0 victory to advance at the Southeast Asian Games, which I’m sure all of you are following religiously. The loss cost Vietnam a spot in the semifinals, with Indonesia instead moving on from the group stage.
The goal scorer looks almost reluctant to score, almost embarrassed by what happened in the buildup. Not that it stopped him from finishing the tap-in.
The collision between goalie and defender was reminiscent of the stunning crash in the 1982 World Cup semifinals between West Germany and France. Equal parts horrific impact and brilliant defense, Toni Schumacher’s destruction of everything that was Patrick Battiston is the standard for getting away with murder on a pitch. Schumacher wasn’t penalized while Battiston lost consciousness. West Germany got a goal kick.
The Vietnamese goalie also wasn’t penalized by the ref, only by the opposition.
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