Iain Dowie stand up – seven of the funniest own goals ever

Football fans love own goals.

They are comical, bittersweet and often represent that special moment when the beautiful game goes from the sublime to the ridiculous.

All the skill in the world will count for nothing if Lady Luck is against you, as the likes of Gareth Bale have found out.

The Tottenham midfielder – an 11/2 punt to score first in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Stoke – was credited with an unfortunate own goal last month against Liverpool at White Hart Lane.

Aaron Lennon punted clear off the line following a Steven Gerrard header only for the ball to ping into the back of the net off Bale’s face, with the Welshman stood less than three yards away.

Bale, of course, is the latest in a long line of players to suffer the humiliation of scoring an own goal.

Here are seven of the most amusing – which funny own goal do you think is the best?

Festus Baise (Sun Hei SC v Citizen AA, 2011)

Remember Rene Higuita? Here’s a scorpion kick that the former Columbia goalkeeper, who shot to fame following his flamboyant antics against England at Wembley in 1995, would be proud of.

Chris Brass (Darlington v Bury, 2006)

A classic blooper fit for any football bargain-bin DVD. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel will not concede a goal as weird as seeing Brass boot the ball against his own face and into the net as an attempted clearance went horribly wrong.

Matias Appelt (Nacional v Progreso, 2012)

Finding the top corner is a real art form. Appelt couldn’t have hit the ball any sweeter than he did in a recent top-flight game in Uruguay – it’s a just a shame for him that it wasn’t in the opposition team’s penalty area.

Djimi Traore (Burnley v Liverpool, 2005)

Rule number one of defending is never attempt a Cruyff turn on the edge of your own six-yard box. Hapless Traore did it and failed miserably to gift Burnley a memorable FA Cup shock in bizarre circumstances.

Diego Sosa (San Martin v Estudiantes, 2012)

‘If in doubt, hoof it out’ is a mantra many of you will be familiar with from your school days. Maybe that saying got lost in translation when Sosa was learning his trade because he makes a real mess of this slog.

Iain Dowie (Stockport v West Ham, 1996)

Being in the right place at the right time is the hallmark of what makes a good striker. For Dowie, it was a case of right place, right time and wrong goal on a forgettable evening for him at sodden Edgeley Park.

Alan Smith (Wolves v Leeds, 2003)

It’s hard to believe that such a terrible set-piece delivery from Henri Camara ended up in the net courtesy of a stray Smith boot and a little help from the post.