Friday 13th: Coral’s 10 unluckiest moments in football

Frank Lampard: World Cup goal that wasn’t against Germany

England arguably would’ve lost the match anyway at the 2010 finals, having been outplayed throughout, but Lampard smashed a strike past Manuel Neuer off the bar, which would’ve brought the scores level. The referee adjudged the shot to not have crossed the line, though, and as a result goal-line technology was introduced, so it wasn’t for nothing.

Pedro Mendes: Roy Carroll fumble

Then-Tottenham and Portugal player Mendes thought he got the winner from a screamer just inside Manchester United’s half in the dying minutes, after Red Devils keeper Carroll fumbled the shot in 2005. However, the linesman failed to see the ball cross the line and the game finished 0-0.

Pepe Reina: Darren Bent beach ball incident

One of the more bizarre moments in football, and once again at the expense of Liverpool, this time in 2009. This is the only time a beachball has scored, to our knowledge, after being assisted by Sunderland’s Bent.

Republic of Ireland: Thierry Henry handball

The Green Army came agonisingly close to upsetting France in a World Cup qualifying play-off in 2009, but former Arsenal great Henry infamously laid on the winning goal for William Gallas after he kept the ball in play with his hand, to send Les Bleus to the finals. Let’s hope the Irish have no such bad luck this time around in their Euro 2016 play-off with Bosnia and Herzegovina, who they are 7/2 to beat in the first leg.

Paul Robinson: Gary Neville back pass hits bobble

In this Euro 2008 qualifier, England succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Croatia, after a back-pass from Neville hit a bump, to deceive the unlucky keeper Robinson. The Three Lions later failed to make the finals after another loss to the Blazers, in a match more famous for Steve McClaren’s being the Wally with a Brolly.

Karl-Heinz Rummenige: Wonder goal v Rangers wrongly disallowed

Former Bayern Munich and West Germany icon Rummenigge once said his greatest ever goal came against Scottish giants Rangers in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup. The technique he used to guide the ball in the net was out of this world, but the referee disallowed it for some reason.

Goal 1.54…

Jan Vertonghen: Ridiculous linesman decision

The most recent unfortunate incident of this list comes in the 2014/15 season in a game between Spurs and Sunderland, who seem to have had the most luck from our picks. Belgium defender Vertonghen was roughly 12 feet onside behind the halfway line before picking up the ball to score, but the linesman thought differently. Tottenham (5/4 top four chances) did win the game, though.