England’s World Cup dream ended in heartbreak on Wednesday when defender Laura Bassett’s own goal in stoppage time gave Japan a trip to the final in Vancouver.
Bassett’s clearance attempt unintentionally deflected past her own goalkeeper, off the crossbar and inside the net, leaving her in tears before the referee even blew the final whistle.
It was one of those cruel moments in sports that will be remembered forever, but where does it rank amongst all-time heartbreaking finishes? Here’s a look at some of the most memorable ones of the last 30 years.
Mariano Rivera’s blown save in 2004 ALCS
With the New York Yankees in a commanding 3-0 series lead and poised to sweep the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series, Rivera entered Game 4 in the 8th inning with the Yankees up 4-3. One of the greatest relief pitchers in MLB history, Rivera gave up the tying run in the 9th and the Red Sox would go on to win the game 6-4 in the 12th.
As if that defeat wasn’t deflating enough on its own, the Yankees dropped the next three to the Red Sox, who went on to win their first World Series title in 86 years by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals.
Andrés Escobar’s own goal vs. United States, World Cup 1994
Any soccer fan watching England’s loss in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday couldn’t help but be reminded of Escobar. The Colombian defender scored an own goal vs. the World Cup hosts in the group stage of the ’94 tournament, resulting in a 2-1 victory for the U.S. Shortly after returning to his native Colombia, Escobar was shot and killed while sitting in his car, his death believed to be punishment for his own goal.
97th Grey Cup, Roughriders with too many men
You couldn’t help but feel bad for Rider Nation after basic math cost the Saskatchewan Roughriders the championship game. The Roughriders led 27-25 late in the fourth quarter with one last chance for the the Montreal Alouettes. As time ran out, Als kicker Damon Duval missed a game-winning field goal attempt but the Riders were penalized for having too many men on the field. Duval nailed the second attempt to give the Alouettes a 28-27 victory.
New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV (1990)
All you need to do is Google “Wide Right” to relive this one.
UNC vs. Michigan, 1993 NCAA National Championship
With Michigan trailing by two and the clock ticking down, Chris Webber was bringing the ball up court when officials missed a blatant travelling call. Just when everyone thought Webber got away with one, he proceeded to call a timeout in front of his bench. The bad news? Michigan had no timeouts, Webber was charged with a technical foul and North Carolina went on to win 77-71.
For Webber, the infamous timeout was the unfortunate end to his college career and remains something that will always be attached to his name. Jalen Rose, Webber’s former Michigan teammate, said the timeout may have “emotionally screwed him (Webber) up” for a long time afterwards.
New York Mets vs. Boston Red Sox, 1986 World Series
No miscue in sports is more famous than Bill Buckner’s missed grounder between the legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. All of Boston believed it might be the end of the Curse of the Bambino, but in a single moment, that all ended when Buckner misplayed a ball down the first base line giving the Mets a 3-2 win in the 10th inning.
In the next game, the Mets secured the World Series title with a 8-5 win and the curse lived on.
Buckner’s life was filled with overwhelming criticism off the field. Songs were written about him and actor Charlie Sheen paid $93,500 for the “Buckner Ball” at an auction. In 2012, that ball was sold at an auction for $418,250.
“Some murderers didn’t face as much criticism as I did,” Buckner later said.