Croatia stunned soccer fans across the world by jumping out to a 1-0 lead early in the second half against Argentina on Thursday, and the goal would not have been possible without an unforgivable goalkeeping mistake.
Rather than safely sending a ball down the field after he received a pass from one of his own defenders, Argentina keeper Willy Caballero tried to loft a fancy pass over the head of Croatia’s Ante Rebic. The ball came off Caballero’s foot wrong and popped right to Rebic, who struck it beautifully and found the back of the net.
what. a. howler. pic.twitter.com/QxPWWBa9W3
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 21, 2018
Rebic deserves plenty of credit for capitalizing, but that is obviously a goal Argentina had no business giving up. As you might expect, Twitter was not kind to Caballero.
so far as I can tell, Willy Caballero is genuinely amazing at saving penalty kicks and genuinely awful at every other thing goalkeepers have to do
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) June 21, 2018
Caballero and his bald head considering retirement after the game #WorldCup #ARGCROpic.twitter.com/qNg5aNvObK
— stve (@supportsteven) June 21, 2018
When you could've had Romero but you got Caballero pic.twitter.com/bDXU0SePHh
— Muhammad Daniyal (@MDani07Bulbulia) June 21, 2018
caballero was like.. pic.twitter.com/atJfnHpKCt
— Azamuddin. (@azamuddin_azman) June 21, 2018
Who would have thought Argentina would come bearing gifts. With caballero wearing his birthday suit pic.twitter.com/bCHqrDRGOM
— Mosalad (@Mohaheh) June 21, 2018
We have already seen an unprecedented number of mistakes that led to goals in this World Cup, but Caballero will be haunted by that one for a very long time.
