5 Biggest Blunders in World Football for Weekend of September 5-7
We've had no domestic action of major note this weekend, with international football instead taking centre stage.
The players on show might be of the highest level in their respective nations, but that doesn't mean they are immune to the odd moment of madness or can breeze through matches untroubled.
We've ranged all over the world for our five blunders this weekend, so feel free to add your own in the comments section—wherever you saw them!
AFCON Goalkeepers' Nightmare
1 of 5Competitive international action wasn't restricted to Europe this weekend, as the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations also got underway—or at least, the final round did, the all-important group stages.
It proved to be a dismal occasion for Niger goalkeeper Kassaly Daouda, though, with the 31-year-old experienced international at least partly at fault for all three goals in his side's 3-1 defeat against Cape Verde Islands.
He failed to hold a simple shot for the first goal, resulting in a tap-in, before the next shot was drilled right under his body as he dived too late. The worst was saved (or not saved, more to the point) for last, as he spilled another shot straight at him, watching it bounce behind him into the net.
Not to be outdone, Cape Verde's 'keeper Vozinha popped up with his own pathetic attempt at a near-post save as Niger at least pulled one goal back. Four goals, four highly suspect pieces of goalkeeping.
'Numb' with Pride
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We've all heard the odd national anthem mistake, whether it be playing the wrong country's tune or perhaps playing an outdated version—but it's not usually as a result of the host nation getting their own one wrong.
Malta managed it, though, in their recent fixture against Slovakia: Instead of putting their own anthem on, they managed to fire up Linkin Park's "Numb" track for a few seconds.
See the moment, and a couple of players' reactions, here.
Ref Bundled over
3 of 5Nico Olivera might have a bit of a grudge against referees, but who knows?
The Defensor Sporting skipper decided that the direction he wanted to run in the first few seconds of the match against Penarol happened to be...straight through the official, Daniel Fedorczuk.
Only one outcome there—the ref barged straight over to a tumbling fall, as per 101 Great Goals.
Cheap Red Card in a Game Full of Fouls
4 of 5Anybody who saw Brazil vs. Colombia at the start of the weekend could be forgiven for thinking they were watching another World Cup quarter-final, not a friendly. Such was the effort, the aggression and the intent on both teams' parts.
Thunderous challenges went in all game, mainly from Colombia on Neymar, it must be said, but the Brazilian captain's rolls and reactions didn't help his own cause.
There were plenty of yellow cards, and referee David Gantar basically seemed to lose all control of the match—before handing out the softest booking of all to Juan Cuadrado, who had already received one. And thus, Cuadrado was sent off for the merest brush on the back of Neymar. Poor officiating, compounded with a dismal decision to award Brazil a free-kick later in the game which turned out to be the match-winning goal, marred the game.
Late Red for Mulgrew but a Blunder for Him or the Ref?
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Finally, the close-fought match between Germany and Scotland resulted in a 2-1 win for the new world champions.
In the final moments of the game, as the Scots pressed for a second equaliser, Charlie Mulgrew sent a wild shot ballooning over the crossbar, but the whistle had gone for a free-kick two seconds earlier. The referee decided Mulgrew had kicked the ball away on purpose—to what end isn't clear, since his team were trailing—and duly showed him a yellow card.
Having been booked earlier in the game it meant the midfielder was sent off and will now miss the Euro 2016 qualifier against Georgia in November...but was it Mulgrew's blunder or that of the referee?
