Goalkeeper distracted

Curious European Championship scene: How did the shoes get there?

How did the shoes get there? That's probably what some soccer fans thought during the Netherlands' 3:0 victory over Romania in the last 16 of the European Championship on Tuesday evening.

The Netherlands are back in the quarter-finals of a European Championship for the first time since 2008. The clearly improved Oranje team won their round of 16 match against Romania 3:0 (1:0) in Munich on Tuesday and will face Austria's conquerors Turkey in Berlin on Saturday. In stoppage time, Dortmund striker Donyell Malen scored the final goal after a solo run across the entire pitch.

However, his goal became a minor matter. Some TV viewers wondered why there was a pair of shoes in the Romanian penalty area. They were obstructing keeper Florian Nita. The goalkeeper was distracted and kicked a shoe out of his five just before Malen's finish - a curious scene!

Fan probably threw shoes onto the pitch
At first, there was talk that the shoes belonged to a streaker who had run onto the pitch shortly before. But the young man was taken away with his shoes on. This probably means that a frustrated Romania fan (the supporters were behind Nita's goal) had thrown the shoes onto the pitch. In any case, the unsportsmanlike action backfired ...