The opening round of the World Cup has been loaded with upsets and own goals, and the latter have been so frequent that we may be well on our way to seeing a new tournament record.
On Tuesday, Senegal pulled off a victory over Poland thanks in part to a Polish own goal early in the match.
Senegal take the lead after Idrissa Gana's shot gets deflected into the back of the net! pic.twitter.com/GkEjWiunqT
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2018
While that own goal was more of a deflection rather than a mistake from a defender, it was already the fourth of the World Cup, which is tied for the third-most in a single tournament. The record is six, and there’s still a very long way to go.
Senegal takes the 1-0 lead thanks to an own goal. It's the 4th own goal at the 2018 #WorldCup, already tied for the 3rd-most at a single tournament.
Most Own Goals at One World Cup
1998 6
2014 5
2018 4
2006 4
1954 4— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 19, 2018
Even if the record of six own goals falls, it seems highly unlikely that any will be more heartbreaking than the one Morocco gave up in its loss to Iran. In reality, the own goals and upsets probably go hand-in-hand. Strange things need to happen in order for so many underdogs to come out on top, and that’s exactly what we have seen in the World Cup thus far.
