DARREN BENT scored 221 goals in nearly 600 games for club and country — but none more famous than the one with the most bizarre assist in football history . . . off a BEACHBALL!
Fifteen years ago tomorrow, his fifth-minute shot for Sunderland deflected off a stray red inflatable that completely deceived Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina before going in.
It clinched a 1-0 Premier League win over the Reds and is the goal he is forever asked to talk about.
Bent, now 40 and a presenter on talkSPORT, said: “I speak about it all the time because the moment was a complete freak situation.
“Seriously, when have you ever previously seen a beachball thrown on to a pitch before the start of a football match? Balloons, toilet rolls . . . but a beachball?
“And the way in which the wind blows in off the coast across the Stadium of Light pitch, what are the chances of that beachball staying on the pitch for five minutes for that amount of time?
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“Then when the match ball is crossed to me, at that precise moment it cannons off the inflatable and diverts it in the net.
“I think all the odds of that happening are greater than getting all six numbers on the lottery.
“Even if I tried to re-enact that situation I’d struggle to do it because the beachball would blow away or I’d struggle to hit a shot that would connect with the inflatable.
“It was a complete one-off, almost from a bygone era.
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“Plus, with VAR today there is not a chance that the goal would stand.
“I’m also pretty sure my shot for that goal would bamboozle stat boffins for my xG!”
Bent recalled the moment the ball was crossed from Andy Reid and flicked in by Steed Malbranque.
He added: “In my head it was always the same when I was in a situation like that: ‘Hit the target’.
“The moment I struck it and saw the ball deflect and go in, I ran off celebrating. I knew it hit something, my first instinct was it came off Liverpool defender Glen Johnson’s leg.
“Then I was aware of Liverpool players protesting about the goal.
“I felt a bit for referee Mike Jones because I was told he was demoted to the Championship the following week. He was faced with an unprecedented situation.
“He had no monitor to go and look at to check how the goal had gone in. It was a complete one-off.
“The most frustrating part is I could and should have scored two or three more goals that day.
“We absolutely battered Liverpool but it just so happened it ended up being the winning goal!”
Bent did have sympathy with the Reds fan, Callum Campbell, 16 at the time, who threw the beachball onto the field and received terrible online abuse in the days that followed.
The former England striker added: “When I read about that, I found it quite appalling.
“Here was a football fanatic enjoying the atmosphere of following his team away. Everything about what he did that day was as a supporter of his club.
“As I have previously said, it was just a freak of nature that everything conspired into that moment. He had no clue — like the rest of us — how it would pan out.
“After the game, I remember talking with Glen Johnson, who remains a close friend, and keeper Pepe Reina about how it could have happened.”
The historic beachball is on display as part of The People’s Collection at the National Football Museum in Manchester. Or is it?
Bent said: “I’m led to believe that’s where it is, although I’ve also been told there is a guy in the North East who has it, so it’s open to debate.”
The ex-Ipswich, Aston Villa and Tottenham ace is happy to carry on talking about it — although he admits among his 221 goals it would not even rank among the top 200!
He added: “If I had £1 for every time I have had to talk about it over the last 15 years, I would feel like a lottery winner!
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“But I suppose it’s nice to be remembered forever as scoring one of the maddest goals in the history of the Premier League.”
Listen to Darren Bent on his talkSPORT Drive show every Monday to Friday, 4pm to 7pm with Andy Goldstein.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
