Goalkeepers Are Different

Everything you've ever wanted to know about
goalkeepers and a little bit more

In The Net

It's hard to play a game of football without a goal but conversely, it's quite easy to set one up, as anyone who has ever used a couple of jumpers for goalposts can testify. However, it took longer than one might have imagined before the goals that we know to today came into being. The first goals lacked both a net and a crossbar and it took a number of contentious decisions and before the iconic look of a football goal, complete with said net and crossbar, was achieved.

The Woodwork

Although the crossbar was a later addition, goal posts date from the earliest days of the modern game - albeit in primitive form - with the English Football Association decreeing in 1863 that the posts should be 8 yards apart (7.32m), a measurement which has never altered since. Often little more than long sticks, these goalposts also helped players to keep track of the number of goals scored by each team - every time a goal was conceded a little nick was put into the post, hence the phrase 'to score a goal'. Goal posts nowadays take the form of an elliptical post although the traditional wooden square posts, which were usually made from Douglas Fir, can still be found at lower levels of the game and in Scotland (they were outlawed by FIFA in 1987). It is a little known fact that though goal posts are almost invariably painted white, there is no rule within the game about this. Theoretically, they could be painted any colour you like (Tottenham Hotspur's posts were once painted blue and white, for example).

Crossbars became compulsory in 1882, having been experimented with as early as 1875 (Both Sheffield FC - England's oldest club - and Queen's Park, their Scottish counterparts have claimed responsibility for introducing them into the game). Before that, tape was stretched between the posts eight feet above the ground - as in the first FA Cup Final in 1872 - although when the first laws of the game were drawn up, there was no mention of a crossbar. As in rugby today, a goal could be scored at any height as long as the ball went between the sticks or posts.

The modern crossbar is curved to allow for the effect of gravity, which pulls the middle down when it is in position. The exact height of the crossbar is laid down in the rules of the game and is rigidly enforced, although there have been occasional lapses.

In 1989 Portsmouth were somewhat embarrassed when it was discovered that one of the crossbars at Fratton Park was an inch too low. Hearts, meanwhile, were shocked to discover that one of the crossbars at Spanish club Mallorca was lower than the other prior to a European Cup Winners Cup-tie in 1998 and League of Ireland champions Bohemians were left red-faced by a similar incident when they entertained Levadia of Estonia in Champions League qualifying game in 2001. The kick off was delayed at Dalymount Park by twenty minutes when it transpired that one of the crossbars was an inch too low. With no replacement goal to hand, the required height was attained by pressing the goalmouth down to the required measurement with the pitch roller.

In 1888, Swifts, a team based in Kensington, London, were disqualified from the FA Cup when opponents Crewe Alexandra lodged a complaint about one of the crossbars after their Cup tie had finished 2-2. They claimed that it was two inches lower than the one at the other end of the field and two inches below the height required by the rules. The FA upheld their complaint and Crewe went on to reach the semi-finals but the Football Association passed a rule that all protests about the gound, markings and goals must be made before kick-off and not after the final whistle.

Reg Cutler destroys goalpostOn occasion, games have been disrupted by part of the woodwork breaking. In the 1994 World Cup Finals the Quarter Final tie between Mexico and Bulgaria came to a halt when the Mexican goal collapsed under the weight of several players falling into the net. In this instance a replacement goal enabled the game to continue but in 1981 Chester had to abandon a League game when a goal collapsed after goalkeeper Grenville Millington collided with the goalpost. Other breakages of note include a seven-minute break in play during an FA Cup tie between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth in 1957 after Cherries striker Reg Cutler became entangled in the netting (see picture), and a delay of over 90 minutes in Madrid after one of Real's goalposts collapsed during the pre-match warm up before a European Champions League game.

But the first recorded stoppage due to the woodwork breaking came during the 1896-97 season when William "Fatty" Foulke brought a First Division game to a halt by snapping the crossbar after he decided to hang off it to relieve his boredom.

Of course, no mention of breaking woodwork would be complete without another Chic Brodie anecdote. "The One-Man Natural Disaster" managed to destroy his entire goalmouth while playing for Brentford after swinging from the crossbar in an attempt to put a dangerous looking cross over the bar in a game against Lincoln City...

When Swansea Town entered into the Southern League in 1911 it was such a rush job to bring the Vetch Field up to scratch that workmen were still completing the erection of the goalposts as the home side and their opponents, Cardiff City, took to the field for their first game.

In 2013 Algeria and Togo's Africa Cup of Nations match was held up for more than 15 minutes after striker Adlene Guedioura threw himself into the netting in frustration and broke the Togolese goalposts in the process. Play had continued until referee Hamada Namplandraza noticed that the goal frame had started to lean out of shape. The goalposts were eventually taken down and fixed while a crowd of 20,000 looked on.

Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence had an unwelcome guest in his penalty area during a game against West Ham United in April, 1972 in the form of a stray dog, who promptly cocked his leg against Clemence's goalpost and urinated.

During the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the bases of the goalposts were marked with coloured tape, although the reasons why this was are not clear it has been mooted that it was related to the ticker tape parade that welcomed the hosts onto the field of play and the officials inability to judge goal-line decisions. There were rumours that they were some kind of protest against the Argentine dictatorship but painting part of the goalposts was something of a tradition in Argentina prior to the tournament, as can be seen in archive video footage of the 1963 Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and Santos and the 1967 Intercontinental Cup final that saw Racing Club take on Celtic. Moreover, not every goal in the 1978 World Cup finals had black bands - the posts in Mendoza where Scotland memorably beat Holland for example were painted red at the bottom.

Such markings were also not restricted to the Argentina. Similar posts featured in the 1980 European Championships during games in Naples, again in Spain 1982 when England beat Czechoslovakia and the 1984 Olympic Football tournament in Los Angeles. However, there are two theories as to their purpose, the first was to ensure the posts were placed at the right height but the most realistic argument is that they helped balance the contrast on old black-and-white TV sets, making it easier to see the goal.

Back in 1974, Athlone goalkeeper Mick O'Brien broke his crossbar not once but twice during a FAI Cup semi-final against Finn Harps at Oriel Park. After taking 15 minutes to repair the first break, the game continued only for the bar to come crashing down again after O'Brien attempted to mend it further after noticing it was coming loose once again three minutes from time. However the referee took exception to the goalkeeper clambering over the woodwork and sent him off. Athlone lost the game 5-0.

In 1971 a game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen had to be abandoned with just two minutes left on the clock after one of the goals collapsed. The scores were level at 1-1 when the referee was forced to blow time prematurely but the match was awarded to the visitors Bremen as punishment for Mönchengladbach not having a replacement readily available. Fortunately it didn't stop them from going on to win the League that season.

The same thing happened at Molineux when Wolverhampton Wanderers entertained Norwich City on the opening day of the season in August 1973. On this occasion the goal was fixed and the match was allowed to continue. Wolves went on to win 3-1.

Zimbabwe Premier League giants Dynamo were not so lucky when their match against Chapungu in June, 2017 was brought to a halt after one set of goalposts collapsed. Leading 4-0, Dynamo looked to be on course for a comfortable victory when Chapungu goalkeeper Talent Shumba crashed into one of his posts trying to stop a speculative shot from Tichaona Chipunza, causing the entire frame to collapse. Efforts to repair the damage proved fruitless so the game was abandoned.

Back in 1971, Mexico was the venue for an unofficial Women's "World Cup". The event was designed to make the female game more popular on the back for the FIFA World Cup that had been staged in the country the previous year. However, the organisers thought the way to appeal to a female and family audience was to theme everything pink, including the stadium goalposts that were painted with pink hoops.

Hampden Park's square posts are so infamous in France that in 2012 that St. Etienne tried to purchase them from the stadium's Museum for their own establishment. The French believe that Les poteaux carres were responsible for their defeat in the 1976 European Cup Final at the hands of Bayern Munich. Having hit the woodwork twice, the club maintain that Jacques Santini's header and Dominique Batheney's shot would have rebounded into the net rather than bounce back into play if they had been round.

The goalposts at the Empire Stadium in Malta used to be rather unique, featuring eye-catching black and white posts with a net held in place by three stanchions (one on the left, one on the right and one running down the middle). The posts were used for domestic, European and even international football, with Alf Ramsey's England side coming face-to-face with them in 1971.

In a similar vein, when Liverpool went to Sudan to play a friendly against a Select XI in 1982, the goalposts featured a number of distinct black hoops on the woodwork. The game ended 1-1 with Kenny Dalglish scoring for the Reds.

Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners were left red-faced when one of the goals at the Bluetongue Stadium needed to be replaced after Perth Glory defender Tomislav Mrcela ended up in the back of the net and put the frame under strain. One of the posts was irrevocably damaged and the frame was replaced by a portable goal that was eventually wheeled into place. However, in the spirit of fair play, there was a further delay when the undamaged goal at the other end of the ptich was replaced to ensure both goals were the same size.

Back in October 2014, Leicester City's goalkeepers were convinced that the goalposts at Swansea City's Liberty Stadium were too big following their warm-up and complained to officials. The Swans' ground staff carried out an impromptu check and confirmed the height of the crossbar at eight feet as required and the game kicked off as normal. Swansea had the last laugh, running out 2-0 winners.

Nottingham Forest Luton collapsed goalCeltic striker Leigh Griffiths was handed a UEFA charge after he tied a club scarf to one of the goalposts following their Champions League qualifier victory over Norther Ireland's Linfield in Belfast. The provocative act came at the end of a tempestuous game between the two sides.

An FA Cup tie between Nottingham Forest and Luton Town at the County Ground in January 1971 after Forest defender John Winfield clattered into one of the goalposts, causing the goal frame to collapse. The ground staff managed to re-erect the goal to allow the game to continue. The match ended 1-1.

Shoot magazine once reported on the misfortune that befell Stockport County after they were forced to replace a damaged crossbar at Edgeley Park for the princely sum of £54. The club purchased three willow crossbars and hung them in a groundsman's hut to straighten out before erecting them. However, the day the club bought the new equipment a small fire broke out in the very same hunt, writing off the crossbars. Fortunately for County, they were covered by the club's insurance.

An Under-18 clash between Leicester Road and Nuneaton Borough was abandoned with just under twenty minutes left when one of the goalposts snapped at the Greene King Stadium after several players crashed into it during a goal-mouth scramble in November, 2019.

In December 1974, Oldham Athletic's Ronnie Blair thought he'd scored the opening goal against Manchester United in a Second Division clash at Boundary Park but the referee waved play on, not realising that the ball had hit a stanchion in the net. Fortunately Oldham went on to win the game 1-0.

In an effort to break Liverpool's drought of English League titles, former goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar claimed to have urinated on the goalposts at Anfield to lift a curse he says was placed on the club by a witchdoctor in 1992. Grobbelaar apparently first attempted it during the 2013/14 season but got kicked out after only peeing on one post, which was allegedly why the Reds to finish second that year...

In July 2015 a pre-season friendly between Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers was delayed when a swarm of bees took residence against one of the goalpost after the queen had attached herself to it. With the penalty area having become a hive of activity, the referee was left with little choice but to delay kick-off until some beekeepers arrived to remove the problem!

A game between Everton and Manchester City at Goodison Park in January 2012 was held up for five minutes when a fan entered the field of play and handcuffed himself to one of the posts in Joe Hart's goal. 46-year-old John Foley was eventually arrested after the police successfully removed the cuffs. Everton went on to win the game 1-0 while Foley received a three-year ban for his troubles.

It wasn't the first time Everton have had an issue with their goalposts at Goodison Park. Back in December 1924, one set of posts were uprooted after a gale blew through the ground an hour before a match against Birmingham City was due to kick-off, breaking them in the process. The game was delayed but workman were able to patch up the supporting stanchions and put a temporary fix in place.

In August 1970 Swindon Town had an issue when one of the goalposts collapsed at the County Ground after the team scored their second in a 2-0 win over Sunderland. Groundsmen managed to fix the issue, allowing the Robins to complete their victory.

When football resumed in England following the suspension of the League season due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Premier League introduced drink breaks as part of "Project Restart", allowing players to rehydrate during the summer weather. However, the organisation were forced to admit that the breaks were actually introduced to allow on-field equipment, including the goalposts and crossbar to be disinfected to avoid the virus spreading.

Back in the 1970s, East German side Sachsenring Zwickau's goals featured a broad red hoop on both posts and the crossbar.

In a similar vein, Hungarian side Ujpest Dosza had striped goalposts and bar, as featured in their clash against Newcastle United in the 1969 Inter City Fairs Cup Final.

It maust be a Hungarian thing because when England played Hungary at the Népstadion in 1954, the goalposts were also striped, which may account for why the away side slumped to their worst ever defeat.

After celebrating Scotland fans broke the goalposts at Wembley following their 2-1 victory over England in 1977, the Scottish FA sent their English counterparts some replacement goals as an apology.

In 1963, former Brazil goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa invited his friends to a barbecue at his house. The wood he used in the firepit were the very goalposts he had stood between when conceding the winning goal in the final game of the 1950 World Cup at the Maracana Stadium, which had just been rendered obsolete by FIFA.

A League Two clash between Port Vale and Salford in January 2022 had to be suspended for ten minutes after Vale's Connor Hall managed to bend the metal frame out of shape following a heavy collision while defending a free-kick. After several frantic attempts to correct the problem by ground staff, the post was eventually straightened with the help of a tractor and some rope. After a thorough inspection, the game eventually resumed, with Salford winning 1-0.

Everton's Premier League clash against Newcastle United was interrupted in March 2022 by a protester wearing a "Just Stop Oil" shirt who ran onto the pitch shortly after half-time and zip-tied himself to one of the goal posts by his neck. It took ground staff several minutes to free the invader, who tried everything from scissors to bolt cutters, who was eventually led away by police. Everton won the game with a winner deep into injury time.

Back in January 1982, groundsmen at Oldham Athletic had to wrap black tape around the woodwork of the goal at the Rochdale Road end of Boundary Park prior to a League game against Watford so players could distinguish the goal from the snowbound terracing behind it, which was closed to spectators for safety reasons.

Hull City's Championship clash against Birmingham City in October 2022 had to be delayed after it was discovered that the goal at one end of the pitch was two inches too tall. Groundstaff had to take emergency measures and saw them down to the required size before the game could kick off.

Wign Athletic had a similar problem prior to their Championship match against Cardiff City a week earlier. Eagle-eyed Bluebirds staff notcied that one of the crossbards were higher than the other, due to the goals having to be reconstructed following a Wigan Warrirors Rugby League game earlier in the week. However, both sides decided to go ahead with the game regardless, with Cardiff City winning 3-1.

In a similar vein, Arsenal Ladies' Champions League clash against Ajax at the Sportcomplex De Toekomst was also the subject of a delay in September 2022 after the Gunners staff noticed that the goal they were warming up in was 10cm too small. The error was discovered when one of the players was able to touch the crossbar with ease, something they couldn't normally do. Groundstaff were said to be "mortified" when they realised something was wrong.

Back in 1913, the result of a game between Borussia Dortmund and VfB Dortmund had to be annulled after the referee discovered that one of the goals was 22cm short, after a tape measure was borrowed from a neighbouring farmer. BVB had won the game 1-0 before the VfB players made their protests to the match official.

Despite advances in technology, Worksop Town's Jay Rollins proved that "Ghost Goals" are still a thing in 2022 when his effort against Leek Town in a FA Trophy tie back in October was deemed not to have crossed the line by the referee, who failed to noticed that the ball had ricocheted off the goal frame's wheel at the back of the net. The mistake proved costly as Worksop lost the match 2-1.

In 1987 Argentina's Nery Pumpido almost lost a finger after catching his wedding ring got caught on a hook that held up the goal’s net while doing some physical drills in practice during a training session with River Plate.

Back in April, 1996 Brighton & Hove Albion's Division Two game against York City saw supporters invadedthe pitch in protest at chairman Bill Archer's plans to sell the Goldstone Ground following their relegation to the bottom tier of English football. During the protest both crossbars were pulled down causing the game to be abandoned and the Seagulls were punished by the League with a suspended 3-point deduction. The game was replayed the following month on a Thursday morning, York winning 3-1 to avoid getting relegated with their opponents.

A UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier between Finland and Belgium was delayed for nearly seven minutes after an eagle-owl swopped into the stadium and took up residence on the crossbars of both goals. The bird was eventually persuaded to leave, with Finland going on to win the match 2-0 but the owl, later named Bubi, certianly made an impression. He was named Helsinki's resident of the year in the following December and the national team adopted the nickname Huuhkajat (Eagle-Owls) in honour of the bird.

The Netting

Goal nets were the invention of J. A. Brodie, a civil engineer who would go on to build the Mersey Tunnel, who took out a patent for his invention in 1890 after seeing Everton denied victory against Accrington Stanley after a legitimate goal was incorrectly chalked off by the referee. The first official use of nets date from 1891 when they were used at Crosby Cricket ground near Liverpool, then home to a section of Old Etonians playing for a club called Liverpool Ramblers AFC, and at Nottingham Forest's Town Ground. They were first used in an FA Cup Final in 1892 but it was some time before they were used regularly in International matches, which led to the odd disputed goal.

When Jack Barton scored the ninth goal for England against Ireland in Belfast in 1890, the Irish players claimed the ball had gone over the bar and when Willie Gibson scored a very late equaliser for Ireland in 1894, England's goalkeeper Joe Reader claimed the ball went past the post. It was the first time Ireland avoided defeat against England. Finally, when Billy Bassett put England ahead against Wales in 1889, the Welsh defenders claimed the ball had gone past the post.

But even when nets became widespread there were still disputes. The tautness of the mesh of those early nets was a particular problem, as the ball would often rebound. In the 1908-09 season West Bromwich Albion missed out on promotion by a fraction of a point after a referee disallowed a goal, thinking that the ball had hit the crossbar, and Aston Villa were relegated to the Third Division after a similar incident in 1970. Crystal Palace's Clive Allen had a perfectly good goal wiped-out against Coventry City in 1980 when his free-kick rebounded off the stanchion at the back of the net while Millwall's Paul Ifill saw a goal ruled out in 1999 during a game at Colchester United's Layer Road ground after the officials failed to realise the ball had hit the back of the netting and bounced out again.

Several high profile referees have been caught out too as the result of the net either being too taut or the ball hitting the supporting structure. In 1977 the notorious Clive Thomas cost Everton a place in that year's FA Cup final when he failed to realise that Bryan Hamilton's late freekick had hit the back of the net. With the scores level at 2-2, the game went to a reply, with Liverpool triumphing 3-0.

North of the Border, Scotland's top ref Les Mottram waved play on in 1993 when Dundee United striker Paddy Connolly volleyed home from a corner and the ball bounced back out off the supports. To make matters worse, while the players headed back for the restart, Partick Thistle defender Martin Clark caught the ball before handing it to goalkeeper Andy Murdoch and Mottram failed to award a penalty.

Twenty-five years later and Partick Thistle found themselves on the receiving end of some poor refereeing after Kris Doolan seemingly fired home against Greenock Morton in September 2018. Doolan's shot hit the underside of the crossbar before rippling the net and bouncing back over the goalline. As the Partick players celebrated, referee Barry Cook consulted with his assistant and opted to award a throw-in instead, despite television replays clearing showing the ball hitting the back of the net. Luckily Partick went on to win the game 1-0.

Worse still, there have been occasions when goals have been awarded and even disallowed because of holes in the meshing of the netting. In 2013 there were two such high-profile incidents, the first of which occurred in Germany in October when Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling headed the ball through a hole in the side of the net in a game against Hoffenheim. Referee Felix Brych failed to spot that the striker's header had gone wide and awarded the goal that proved to be the winner as Leverkusen ran out 2-1 winners. Hoffenheim protested after the game and demanded a reply that was not forthcoming.

The following month Wrexham thought they had pulled a goal back during their match against Kidderminster Harriers. However although Dragons striker Adrian Cieslewicz's low, hard drive flew into the back of the net it also went through a hole, leading referee Amy Fearn to believe the ball had gone out for a goal-kick. After six minutes of deliberations with her assistant and players from both sides, the goal was eventually awarded. Kidderminster went on to win the game 3-1.

The deepest goal nets in Europe are thought to be those at La Romareda Stadium in Zaragoza, where they extend a full four metres back from the goal line.

The first personalised nets were made by the inmates of Durham Prison, who make around 750 goal nets a year. These are sold to a number of football clubs, including Leeds United and Sunderland, and cost up to £200 a time.

Queen's Park goalkeeper Andrew Baird was left red faced during the 1894 Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers when Gers striker David Boyd headed home unopposed because Baird had caught his hand in his net.

Port Vale striker Roddy Georgeson scored on his debut against Rochdale but then suffered the ignominy of having to be cut free from the netting by the referee and club officials after he became tangled up in it when forcing the ball over the line.

A goal net can trap even the most prestigious of goalkeepers. In November 2014 former England international David James was left rather embarrassed when he became tangled in the netting after trying to take his frustrations out on one of his goal posts. James, who enjoyed a glittering career with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Portsmouth among others, had just made a fine save for Kerala Blasters in a game against Goa but was powerless to prevent his opponents from scoring from the rebound. Aiming a swipe at the post, the goalkeeper missed, got his boot stuck in the net and ended up falling into his goalmouth.

A Championship game between Birmingham City and Leeds United was delayed by nearly ten minutes in September, 2014, after a strike by the Blues' Wes Thomas in the 38th broke the net. Thomas's shot dislodged the stanchion fixing at the back of the goal causing the net to sag and had to be hastily replaced by ground staff.

Monaco had a spot of net trouble during a friendly against Turkish team Sivasspor in the Summer of 2012. Leading 1-0, they thought they'd scored a second when Valentin Eysseric latched onto Valere Germain's pass to score but the goal wasn't given by the officials, who believed the ball had gone wide after a ballboy had calmly retrieved it from behind the goal. Not to be denied, Eysseric pointed out that the netting had a hole in it and the referee awarded the goal. Monaco won 2-0.

England striker Harry Kane was clearly channelling the spirit of comic character Hot-Shot Hamish when his shot burst through the Croatian net during a Nations League clash in October, 2018. Play at the HNK Stadium was halted briefly while a groundsman fixed the netting to allow play to continue but the match ended goalless after Kane's effort was ruled offside by the referee.

In 2011, Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense thought they had equalised against Limón FC just before half-time but the referee decided to play on after the ball hit the net support at the back of the goal and bounced out.

Officials at Napoli's Stadio San Paolo had to make some last-minute repairs to the side netting of one of their goals after concerns were raised before the club's Champions League group match against Liverpool in October 2018. Running repairs saw the offending netting mended in time for kick-off but there were fears that it could come apart if hit by a direct shot, which luckily never came to pass.

Both the linesman and groundsman at an Under-17 international between Brazil and Paraguay were left red-faced in March 2011 after it became apparent that the net had not been fastened to the goalpost in the proper fashion. The error was discovered following a rather weak effort on goal from Brazil striker Lucas Piazon that saw the ball pass through a gap between the post and the net. Fortunately the referee was perfectly placed to award goal.

Cambridge United were left 'hopping mad' after rabbits chewed through the goal nets at the Abbey Stadium ahead of their game against Peterborough United in January 2020, causing £250 worth of damage. Groundsman Ian Darler was able to repair the nets after being inspired by "watching fishermen mend their nets". The rabbits had also tried to dig up the pitch and left droppings throughout the goalmouth, leading to a number of bunny-related jokes on Social Media.

Barnsley goalkeeper Sami Radlinger had to be cut out of his net with scissors after getting stuck trying to stop a Hull City from retrieving the ball after they had scored during a Championship game in November, 2019. Radlinger found himself in a tangle with his studs wrapped around the netting and had to be cut free with a pair of scissors. The Tykes held on to win 3-1.

Everton goalkeeper Gordon West had to lend a helping hand at Stoke City's Victoria Ground during the 1969/70 season when the netting worked itself loose in a First Division match. West held the net while Stoke's groundsmen hammered it back into place!

In 2016, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp took the decision to change the nets at Anfield from red to white to make them more visible to his players' peripheral vision. The red nets had been in place since 2012 and it was felt that they didn't catch the eye as much when the fans, who were also wearing red, were in position behind the goal. It wasn't the first time the nets had been changed by a Liverpool boss, with Roy Evans taking a similar approach in 1995.

When Wycombe Wanderers entertained Millwall at Adams Park in October 2020, the referee was forced to add on eight additional minutes after the goal netting collapsed in the second half following a long-distance effort from the Lions' Jake Cooper. The defender had struck a freekick from distance, which struck the bar and saw Wanderers keeper Ryan Allsop fall into the net, which was pulled away from the supports behind the goal as a consequence. Ground staff were able to repair the net and Millwall managed to a secure a 2-1 victory.

The start of Bayern Munich's game against RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena was delayed for several minutes in May 2021 after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer spotted a hole in his net. The inventive keeper fixed the netting using his hand towel but his efforts were overruled by the referee, who called for a more professional fix, which was duly provided by ground staff who used zip ties to rectify the problem.

The start of the Euro 2020 group match between Spain and Sweden was delayed after a hole was discovered in the Swedish goal. The game commenced after officials managed to patch it up.

AFC Wimbledon had a problem with their nets before a league encounter against Barnet at the Kingsmeadow Stadium in November 2011. After checking the goal, the linesman discovered a gaping hole at the point where the crossbar meets the left post but having alerted the referee to the issue, the groundsman discovered another problem - the club didn't have a stepladder at hand. Undeterred, Barnet's Dean Brill and an assistant came to the rescue, hoisting the groundsman up to enable him to fix the netting.

When Western Sydney Wanderers played rivals Sydney FC in an A-League match back in 2017, their goalkeeper, Vedran Janjetovic, was pelted with plastic snakes by opposition fans, upset with the fact thay the keeper had left Sydney FC to join their rivals. A number of the snakes ended up resting on top of Janjetovic's net and stayed there for the rest of the game.

The second half of Hearts' Europa League clash against Viktoria Plzen at Tynecastle in August 2024 was delayed after a hole was discovered in one of the nets. A makeshift repair was required before the game could restart, with the visitos running out 1-0 winners.

Bearsted goalkeeper Frankie Leonard went viral in November 2024 after video was released of him making save against Fisher Athletic during a Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division encounter despite being caught up in the back of his net. In a frantic few seconds, the keeper was deceived after a lob bounced back off the crossbar but was unable to stop his momentum from carrying him into his net. As the opposing striker pounced on the ball, Leonard refused to be beaten and dived forward, taking the net and all its trimmings with him to punch the ball clear.