20. Neal Maupay, Brentford vs Cardiff City
In fairness to Maupay, who has an unfortunate record of missing big chances, he does still have a man to beat after Sol Bamba's superb effort to get back and bail out his teammates.
The chance arrives because Sean Morrison is robbed by Ollie Watkins, who nicks the ball across goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and into Maupay's path.
The striker takes the time to set himself as Bamba retreats towards the goal line but then rolls the ball harmlessly wide of the near post. The Bluebirds went on to win 2-0.
18. Fernando Torres, Chelsea vs Man United
Torres has his fair share of happy memories from Old Trafford, not least a stonking performance in Liverpool’s 4-1 triumph in March 2009. Yet this agonising moment two-and-a-half years later epitomised his Chelsea struggles more than any other, as the forlorn Spaniard contrived to slice a shot into Row D with the goal gaping.
Torres had done the hard part, rounding David de Gea with a neat stepover and shimmy, but his composure deserted him when he needed it most. At least the Stretford End were sympathetic.
18. Philipp Hofmann, Kaiserslautern vs Union Berlin
The bobble just before the ball arrives at Hofmann's feet certainly does him no favours, but it's still genuinely impressive to clear the bar from so close to goal.
Alexander Ring did well to win possession high up the pitch with some tireless pressing and then teed up Hofmann for what seemed like a simple finish.
The striker, who represented Germany at youth level, and had a subsequent spell at Brentford alongside Maupay, got his connection all wrong and slumped to the ground in despair.
17. Diego Forlan, Man United vs Juventus
Pre-season friendlies may be primarily about building fitness and integrating new signings, but there’s still a certain level of expectation involved. You wouldn’t expect a professional footballer to miss an open goal from six yards just because there aren’t points on the line, for example.
Yet that’s exactly what Forlan did in this non-competitive clash with Juventus in summer 2003, picking up from where he left off after a debut half-season at Manchester United which yielded a grand total of zero goals in 18 appearances for the Uruguayan.
16. Peter van Vossen, Rangers vs Celtic
The worst thing about this passage of play should be Celtic’s appalling attempt to play offside, but Van Vossen spared the Bhoys’ blushes by fluffing his own line(s) in extraordinary fashion.
Jorg Albertz did brilliantly to draw out Celtic goalkeeper Stewart Kerr and square the ball for his Dutch team-mate, but Van Vossen never looked comfortable and proceeded to commit the cardinal sin of leaning back. We’re not buying that desperate search for a divot, either.
15. Freddie Ljungberg, Arsenal vs Bolton
What a goal this would have been. Ljungberg was involved right from the start, shifting the ball wide right to Jose Antonio Reyes, who was fortunate to ricochet it back to the Swede. Patrick Vieira eventually received possession in the centre and dug out a lovely pass to Dennis Bergkamp, who fed Robert Pires on the overlap.
The Frenchman did everything right, beating his marker with ease and picking out the unmarked Ljungberg four yards out. All he had to do was roll it into the empty net, but the winger remarkably skied it over the bar instead.
14. Jakub Blaszczykowski, Borussia Dortmund vs Freiburg
Compared to many of the entries on this list, Blaszczykowski was a fair distance from goal when he pulled the trigger against Freiburg in 2010. In hindsight, his mistake was taking on the shot too early, but that still doesn’t explain how the Pole failed to find the net – or even hit the frame of the goal.
At least Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp saw the funny side. “Instead of running with the ball into goal he sends it over,” the German chuckled afterwards. “This can happen, no problem. But I think we will see this [missed] chance a few more times.”
13. Ronny Rosenthal, Liverpool vs Aston Villa
Rosenthal got his Liverpool career off to the perfect start with seven goals in his first eight games – including a debut hat-trick against Charlton – but he was never able to maintain such a scoring rate once his loan move was made permanent.
This miss in 1992 is one of the most memorable in Premier League history. After racing on to a long kick from David James, Rosenthal rounded Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink, took a touch to steady himself and hit a left-footed shot… against the bar.
12. Nwankwo Kanu, West Brom vs Middlesbrough
Had Kanu tried to put the ball where it ended up, he probably wouldn’t have been able to. This was a miss that defied the laws of physics as well as logic.
The Nigeria international, formerly of Ajax, Inter and Arsenal, had the ball put on a plate for him by ex-bricklayer Geoff Horsfield. But all Kanu could do was scoop it onto the roof of the net from a yard out. Horsfield couldn’t believe his eyes.
11. Fahad Khalfan, Qatar vs Uzbekistan
A well-executed dummy can be both artistic and effective, but attempting one when you’re the goalkeeper and there’s an opponent bearing down on you isn’t usually the wisest idea. Uzbekistan custodian Timur Juraev collapsed – presumably in embarrassment – after letting the ball through his legs in this Asian Games quarter-final in 2010, leaving Fahad Khalfan with a golden chance to break the deadlock after just 45 seconds of extra time.
The Qatari took a touch to bring the ball into the centre of the goal, before somehow toe-poking it against the post. Although he should have gone with his right foot, it was still much harder to miss than score with his left.
10. Chris Iwelumo, Scotland vs Norway
When Iwelumo was called up to the Scotland squad to face Norway in 2008, he probably dreamed of scoring the winner on his international debut. Instead, the striker was forced to live out his worst nightmare, inexplicably directing Gary Naysmith’s low cross wide of the post from three yards out.
"My missus made me delete it from the Sky Plus after four or five days so, yes, I watched it,” Iwelumo admitted afterwards. “It was hard to do but I had to do it." The World Cup qualifier finished 0-0.
9. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich v Paderborn
Even some of football's greatest ever goalscorers have been guilty of fumbling golden chances, as Lewandowski showed in October 2019.
The Polish striker finished the season with 55 goals in all competitions, the highest tally in his career, but an uncharacteristically sloppy miss against Paderborn will live long in the memory.
Serge Gnabry was played in down the right and unselfishly squared the ball for what looked like a simple tap in. Yet Lewandowski's clinical touch deserted him as his shot glanced off the outside of the post and behind for a goal kick.
8. Arnaldo Vera, Libertad vs Emelec
The humble shin guard is a valuable piece of equipment in the often-violent surroundings of South American club football, but the protective pad did Vera no favours in this 2003 Copa Libertadores tie.
This was by no means a disappointing evening for the centre-back’s Paraguayan employers Libertad, who ran out 5-1 winners against Ecuadorian outfit Emelec, but Vera was responsible for perhaps the worst miss in the history of the competition when he shinned a shot against the bar from a yard. The Emelec defenders were so stunned at Vera’s failure to convert that they took an age to eventually hook the loose ball clear.
7. Edin Dzeko, Roma vs Palermo
The most telling thing about the quality of this chance is the way Aljaz Struna responds to seeing the ball reach Dzeko at the back post.
The Palermo defender is resigned to conceding a goal and doesn't even attempt a desperate, but ultimately futile lunge, to block the incoming shot. He simply awaits the unavoidable outcome.
Except Dzeko, who has scored more than 400 competitive goals, skews the ball back across goal and three yards wide of the target. It was just a temporary reprieve as Dzeko and Salah both scored twice in a 5-0 win for Roma.
6. Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nigeria vs South Korea
Yakubu scored 21 goals for his country, a record that’s not to be sniffed at – least of all by the hitherto uncapped FFT. Yet it really should have been 22.
When the ball landed at his feet in this group stage clash at the 2010 World Cup, the then-Portsmouth striker was in the centre of the six-yard box with just three yards between him and the goal-line.
The South Korean defenders, meanwhile, were busy appealing for offside rather than attempting to apply pressure to their opponent. It didn’t matter, though, with Yakubu’s astonishing miscue ultimately proving costly as Nigeria finished bottom of Group B.
5. Patrick Wood, Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners
Sydney FC were already 3-0 up and on course for a comfortable win when Patrick Wood produced a spectacular miss to steal the headlines.
The ball was passed back to Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic, who took a loose touch and couldn't recover. Wood pounced and suddenly had an open goal less then six yards out.
The striker took one touch with his left foot and then ran repositioned himself to shoot with his right but inexplicably dragged his effort wide of the post.
4. Aster Vranckx, Mechelen vs Oostende
The calamitous defending that precedes this incredible miss makes it all the more painful to watch.
A cross into the box is hooked up in the air and then goalkeeper Guillaume Hubert awkwardly miscues his attempt to punch the ball clear. When Geoffrey Hairmans lob bounces down off the bar and only Vranckx responds, a goal seems inevitable.
But the young midfielder, who has since moved to Wolfsburg and represented Belgium at senior level, conspires to miss from two yards out. He chests the ball down and then agonisingly stumbles over it as he goes to finish.
3. Dennis van Duinen, Harkemase Boys vs Capelle
The Dutch fourth division gets very little media attention. But in 2017, football fans around the world saw Harkemase Boys' striker Dennis van Duinen commit one of the worst misses of all time.
Receiving the ball just inside his own half, he lets it run across him well and accelerates away from the opposition's centre-backs. The goalkeeper rushes out to clear but Van Duinen doesn't give up and is rewarded with an empty net.
Under no pressure, and just 10 yards out, he mistakenly decides to go for a more emphatic finish and clears the bar to the complete disbelief of everyone in the stadium.
2. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, PSG vs Strasbourg
The former Stoke City forward picked up multiple trophies during spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but things didn't always go his way.
In April 2019, PSG were closing in on another Ligue Un title and expecting a routine victory when Strasbourg came to town. Choupo-Moting even gave them the lead before the visitors struck back.
Then came the most bizarre moment of the game as the Cameroon international's unnecessary intervention actively stopped his team from scoring. Christopher Nkunku's shot was heading in before Choupo-Moting touched it on the line, causing the ball to hit the post and roll away from goal.
1. William Akio, Valour FC vs HFX Wanderers
Some say that Choupo-Moting walked so William Akio could run. It's hard to imagine a more spectacular miss.
Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League are on the attack against HFX Wanderers and all set to take the lead. Moses John Dyer squares the ball to Alessandro Riggi, who manages to force it beyond the goalkeeper.
As it's just about to trickle over the line, Akio decides to get involved, with disastrous consequences. For reasons known only to himself, he toe-pokes the ball out for a throw-in.
