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Best football virals of 2013

Best football virals of 2013

Best football virals of 2013
12 December 2013

Puddles of ink have been spilt over 2013's big footballing stories: the fanfare of United's 20th league title and Ferguson's prompt retirement, England's qualification into the hardest group of Brazil 2013, a premier league season in which anyone can beat anyone.

But where were the stories about the pine martin pitch invasion? Or the coverage of the greatest goal scored from a throw in? They were right here on ShortList.com, because we know what you really want from the beautiful game is watching things go horribly wrong for its highly paid stars.

Here's our roundup of 2013's best viral moments from the world of football.

The amazing flick freekick

We don't know much about this free kick, other than that it is amazing.

We don't know when it happened, or what teams were playing, or what country it is, but all that matters is that you get down the park urgently and start practising so that you can do it too.




Physio makes double save

You are about to witness an absolutely incredible double goal line clearance, with the chap in question displaying all the requisite skills of a top-class defender.

Unfortunately, the star defender was not actually a player, but the physio. This amazing incident happened in a Brazilian Fourth Division match between Aparecidence and Tupi at the weekend, with the physio being from the former team. We imagine that he probably needed a physio of his own once the Tupi fans had caught up with him.




The German ghost goal

Bayer Leverkusen triumphed 2-1 against Hoffenheim, but their second goal came courtesy of a header, which went the wrong side of the post, but went through the side-netting, into the goal.

Players and pundits initially thought it was a good goal, but replays clearly showed otherwise. The scorer, Stefan Kiessling, commented "I didn't really see it, I turned away but I was surprised to see the ball in. I didn't know how it got in."

FIFA and Bundesliga authorities are currently deciding what action to take - they may choose to replay the game, or let the result stand.




Northampton town own goal

Northampton Town didn't have the best start to the season, languishing near the foot of Football League Two. However, we may have found a solution to their woes.

After witnessing this incredible own goal, scored at the weekend in a 3-0 defeat to Mansfield Town, it's clear that their team is back-to-front. French defender Mathias Kouo-Doumbe was the unlucky goalscorer (on his debut appearance too), but with a touch this deft, he really should be playing up front.




Wind blown own goal

Who would be a goalkeeper? You never get the glory, only the blame. And you also have to deal with things like this.

The hapless keeper for Italian Serie D side Delta Porto Tolle saw his clearance get picked up by a freak gust of wind, returning from whence it came, with disastrous consequences. Also, shame on the opposition striker for celebrating a goal that has absolutely nothing to do with him.




Acrobatic throw-in

You cannot beat a good ridiculous goal, and this is up there with the best.

Randy Gordon of the US school team Hackensack Comets scored this amazing goal recently via a flipover throw-in, to the delight of his teammates.

Yes, it's a foul throw, and yes, if the keeper hadn't touched it the goal wouldn't have stood - but it's still a joy to behold.




Goalkeeper kicked in the face by team mate

A friendly between Notts County and Galatasaray saw the Magpies concede a goal from the Turks' Burak Yilmaz which levelled up the score at 1-1. As the ball bounced out of the net, defender Alan Sheehan went to kick the ball away in frustration, but instead connected straight in the face of County 'keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

Nothing friendly about it.




Greatest goal celebration of all time

Robert Kidiaba, living legend.

The DR Congo goalkeeper demonstrated soccer's finest celebration when Dieumerci Mbokani slotted home a penalty to stun African Cup Of Nations favourites Ghana in Port Elizabeth.




Pine martin invasion

Things you should never pick up: live grenades. Hot potatoes. Disgruntled pine martins.

We have Loris Benito to thank for educating us in regard to that last one. The defender was playing in a Swiss League match between FC Thun and Zurich when play was momentarily stopped by a flustered martin. Benito dutifully scooped up the woodland critter before receiving a nip for his troubles.

But that wasn't the last of the martin, re-emerging later in the match. Having learnt from Benito's error, it was the gloved Zurich goalkeeper Davide Da Costa that saw him off the pitch one last time.




The best team goal from kick-off

We've seen plenty of strange formations in the last few years, including marauding wing-backs, false 9s and strikerless line-ups, but few come close to the novel 1-1-8 which a German side used to their advantage in a recent game.

Third Division Red Bull Leipzig scored this fantastic team goal just six seconds after kick-off, when 8 players rampaged forward and the one defender booted it forward, before the move was finished off past a shellshocked Stuttgart II defence.