Oliver Kahn: When Legendary Goalkeeper Was Sent Off for Scoring Last Minute Corner Using His Hand

Oliver Kahn: When Legendary Goalkeeper Was Sent Off for Scoring Last Minute Corner Using His Hand

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:06 PM
In this article:
Bundesliga logo
GER Bundesliga
Germany
  • Legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn once thought he could score using his hands
  • Kahn earned himself a red card in the 2000/2001 season for a blatant handball during a corner
  • His side was trailing 3-2 and he went up front for a 90th-minute set-piece where he hilariously punched the ball into the net

Oliver Kahn is responsible for arguably one of the most hilarious goalkeeping blunders in football history.

The German will certainly go down as one of the best-ever goalkeepers in world football, but even the best can get involved in the footballing gaffes.

This was the case with Kahn in 2001 when he was inadvertently sent off during a Bundesliga game for handling a ball.

As odd as it sounds, Kahn was actually sent off for a deliberate handball, and the story gets more interesting.

Kahn, Bayern Munich, Bundesliga
Saison 2001/02 VfL Wolfsburg -Bayern München 0:1 . Bayern TW TW Oliver Kahn. (Photo by Rust/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Source: Getty Images

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As captured on Sportskeeda, it was in the 2000/01 season and Bayern Munich came up against Hansa Rostock.

The thriller of a match saw Bayern trail 3-2 on the day, and as the game was heading towards a close, the Bavarians had a corner.

Typically, when a team is trailing and gets a last-minute corner, the goalkeeper risks it all to go and provide the extra numbers up front in case his team nicks a goal, and this is exactly what Kahn did.

The legendary goalkeeper, who was named as the best Bundesliga goalkeeper 7 times and won the golden ball in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, somehow scored from the 90th-minute corner, albeit using his hand.

If anything, it looked like Kahn was clearing the ball using the classic goalkeeper punch, only this time, it was in opposition territory and it was his team that was on the attack.

Amid protests from the opposition, referee Marcus Merk had no choice but to brandish a second yellow card to dismiss the towering goalkeeper.

Speaking after the game, Kahn’s sentiments were as hilarious as his gaffe on the pitch, as he blamed the incident on ‘goalkeeper instincts’.

“It was merely a reflex which is there in all goalkeepers.” He said at the time.

That season, Bayern won the Bundesliga, finishing a single point above Schalke in second.

Bayern make final decision on Cristiano Ronaldo

Meanwhile, Sports Brief reported on Bayern Munich’s final stance on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Oliver Kahn who is Bayern Munich director has stated clearly that the German champions will not be going for the signature of Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

According to the latest report in the UK Sun, Oliver Kahn explained that Bayern Munich are not interested in having Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad as the 37-year old did not fit into the philosophy of the club.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.