First a save, then bad luck

Crazy penalty blunder at the World Cup: “That’s insane”

You really had to feel sorry for Bart Verbruggen.(Bild: AP/Moises Castillo)

First a sensational save in extra time, then the ultimate stroke of bad luck in the penalty shootout: Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen deflected a penalty kick by Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi into his own net and must now head home with his teammates. 

But let’s take it one step at a time! In the World Cup Round of 32 match against Morocco, Bart Verbruggen put in a strong performance. Early in extra time, the Brighton goalkeeper saved his country with a monster save. Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi was set up perfectly, left the last defender in his wake, but couldn’t get past Verbruggen—as seen here in the video:

Here’s the sensational save in extra time:

He kicked itinto his own net with his heel
So the match ultimately went to a penalty shootout. In the shootout, five players—Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber, Crysencio Summerville, Neil El Aynaoui, and Achraf Hakimi—all missed their shots. Rahimi got incredibly lucky: Verbruggen actually saved his penalty, but the goalkeeper accidentally deflected the ball into his own net with his heel.

Here’s the penalty blunder on video:

“That’s insane, that’s really bitter,” said ORF expert Michael Liendl, sympathizing with the goalkeeper. Online, people are already calling it the “unluckiest penalty kick of all time.”

Morocco to Face Canada in the Round of 16
In the end, the Dutch saw their big dreams shattered and will have to wait a little longer for their first World Cup title. Morocco, on the other hand, had reason to celebrate: In the round of 16, they’ll now face co-host Canada on Saturday in Houston.