by Roby Stahl
We here in the USA are clearly missing the point on proper defending tactics…..
Forget England/Argentina/Germany/Portugal and all the rest and listen to this one.
It concerns a match played between Barbados and Grenada in cup competition. Barbados needed to win the game by two clear goals in order to progress to the next round.
Now the trouble was caused by a daft rule in the competition which stated that in the event of a game going to penalty kicks, the winner of the penalty kicks would be awarded a 2-0 victory.
With 5 minutes to go, Barbados were leading 2-1, and going out of the tournament (because they needed to win by 2 clear goals). Then, when they realized they were probably not going to score against Grenada’s massed defense, they turned round, and deliberately scored on their own goal to level the scores and take the game into penalties.
Grenada, themselves not being stupid, realized what was going on, and then attempted to score an own goal themselves.
However, the Barbados players started defending their opponents’ goal to prevent this. In the last five minutes, spectators were treated to the incredible sight of both team’s defending their opponents goal against attackers desperately trying to score an own goal and goalkeepers trying to throw the ball into their own net.
The game went to penalties, which Barbados won and so were awarded a 2-0 victory and progressed to the next round
