SHAKHTAR DONETSK sub Danylo Sikan stirred up debate over the worst miss ever – after setting an incredible new low for the season.
The Ukraine striker got caught in two minds and fumbled the ball wide of an open goal in Tuesday’s 1-1 Champions League draw at Celtic.
The Scottish champions must have felt even worse – as failure to win meant they didn’t even qualify for the Europa League.
But it was Sikan who didn’t know where to hide after an astonishing misjudgement labelled the “miss of the season” on social media.
BT Sport’s Chris Sutton went further with: “I think that goes down as one of – if not – the worst miss of all time.”
And Celtic legend John Collins told BBC Scotland’s Sportsound: “How he misses it I do not know. That’s the miss of the season!”
But opinion was divided when BT Sport posted a clip of Sikan’s misfortune next to the question: “Is this the worst miss you’ve ever seen?”
With the score at 1-1, Mykhaylo Mudryk tore past Cameron Carter-Vickers into the area and, as keeper Joe Hart advanced, unselfishly rolled the ball across.
But Sikan never made a decision between controlling or shooting – and instead his first touch sent the ball trickling wide with his left foot.
The seven-cap frontman made his stumble even worse – if that’s possible – as he floundered an arm out, desperately trying to redeem the situation.
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One observer tweeted: “He was trying to cushion it to then finish or finish first time? Either way that was embarrassing.”
But another suggested: “Tecnically it’s not a miss as he never tried to hit the target he tried to take a touch so maybe the worst first touch ever.”
Similarly, a few pointed out that Mudryk’s pass was a little behind Sikan.
So they blamed Sikan for poor thinking and control rather than outright shocking finishing.
Two all-time “great” misses wre regularly mentioned as Sikan’s shocker sparked a trip down memory pain for the offenders.
Ronnie Rosenthal hitting the bar for Liverpool as he ran the ball towards an open goal against Aston Villa in 1992 was referenced by ex-England hitman Sutton, as well as many social media users..
And Yakubu’s World Cup 2010 miss for Nigeria against South Korea had a touch of the Sikans about it – as he too seemed to get his bearings all wrong.
In contrast, Mudryk had fired one of the finest goals in the Champions League this term to cancel out Giorgos Giakoumakis’ opener for Celtic.
