Take a look at this video from last week’s Macclesfield-Walsall FA Cup tie.
An ex-Macclesfield youth player is taking credit for the stunt in the Mancunian press. No mention has been made of the inspiration behind the plot. Perhaps the “added-time multiball” of Budweiser’s World Cup commercial was the culprit’s muse. If tonight’s replay in Walsall features monster trucks, I guarantee you’ll be able to read about it here.
This clip comes from a televised Almerĺa vs Cádiz encounter in Spain’s Segunda División.
Trailing by two goals, the away side hoof a free-kick up the pitch in search of a way back into the match. As the ball is sailing through the air, the nearside linesman, Manuel Rodriguez Vallejo,spots a bit of shirt-pulling on terra firma. He signals for a penalty and hands Cádiz a lifeline.
Vallejo was always destined for notoriety in his homeland, what with the foul that produced the penalty occurring way outside the area. But it takes more than a bad decision to ensure worldwide fame. Vallejo’s interweb infamy was guaranteed by the media’s universal love of a bad joke: the eagle-eyed official is about to embark on a Masters in optometry.
Kevin Costner knows nothing!
Welcome to Garrincha’s Dog, as featured in When Saturday Comes magazine and absolutely nothing else. If anyone out there is reading this dross - even if you’re avoiding the words just to watch the videos - a link would be gratefully appreciated.
So, what’s the answer to the burning question posed in the last exciting but widely unread episode of Garrincha’s Dog? Surprisingly, it’s yes - it is possible to score from greater range than Scouse superhero Xabi Alonso - just not deliberately. This clip comes from an international friendly between Poland and Colombia in May this year.
Luis Enrique Martínez’s 64th-minute goal sealed a 2-1 win for the South Americans and ended Tomasz Kuszczak’s chances of playing in the World Cup. If you don’t feel even a wee bit sorry for the Polish keeper, may I suggest that you put on your wooliest jumper, don your favourite balaclava, turn up the central heating, and prepare for an eternity in hell.