Bizzare. Absurd. Baffling. What more can you possibly say when a striker clears away a shot from his own team that was destined to cross the line! Valour FC striker William Akio has gone viral for doing exactly that in a Canadian Premier League encounter.
Valour FC picked up a 1-0 win against HFX Wanderers in their latest fixture, with Akio's blushes ultimately spared after he prevented a shot from team-mate Alessandro Riggi from trickling over the goal line.
Who did Akio's spectacular blunder come about?
Akio was caught off guard while celebrating prematurely as Riggi's shot edged towards the net with the scoreline level after 18 minutes.
In a fit of excitement, he denied a goal for his team by clearing away the ball even before it crossed the goal line.
The referee had no option but to keep the scoreline unchanged, however, Valour eventually won the match courtesy of a late strike from Moses Dyer.
Watch: The worst miss of all time?
What did Akio say about the horror miss?
Valour FC captain Daryl Fordyce came out in support of Akio and drew attention to a brilliant goal that he scored last season.
"We all have good days and bad days,” the veteran midfielder said on social media.
“Let’s not forget about this piece of brilliance from an exceptional player – one of the hardest working and most genuine persons I’ve ever played with!”
Akio, meanwhile, played down his actions as he dismissed the horror miss as "part of life".
“I want to start off by saying I’m happy for the three points and our team's resilience last night,” he said.
“I really just missed a wide-open net. It’s simple as that. Everyone makes mistakes on the job, it’s part of life. I will bounce back as I always have in life and football.
"Sometimes, we’re tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths. Football has its ups and downs, but you can’t let the negative times consume you. Always keep it moving and believe in yourself no matter what."
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