Melbourne Victory’s Terry Antonis efforts in Saturday Nights A-League semi-final was one of the most memorable zero to hero (and back) moments in sport that you will ever see.
Antonis was having a blinder and at the 94-minute mark of the match, Victory were on their way to another A-League Grand Final before disaster struck – Antonis’ sliced clearance resulted in an own goal and the game went to extra-time.
The momentum was well and truly with Sydney FC late into extra-time, but Antonis was able to put the Victory back in front with an incredible individual goal and took himself from zero to hero.
With moments like this in mind, the Ladbrokes Blog recaps eight zero to hero moments we’ve seen watching sport over the years.
1. Adam Vinatieri – New England Patriots Superbowl 38
Already a cult icon in New England after kicking them to a Super Bowl two years earlier, Vinatieri endured a rough evening in Houston against the Carolina Panthers – he missed a chip shot 31-yard attempt wide right and his 36-yard kick was blocked.
With nine seconds left he was called upon again, this time from 41 yards and drilled it to secure the Patriots’ second Super Bowl in three seasons.
2. David Beckham – England World Cup Qualifier 2001
After kicking Argentina’s Diego Simeone at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and being red carded, Beckham copped the brunt of criticism from English football fans for the next few years.
He would be voted at number 91 in a Channel 4 poll of “100 worst Britons”, was subject to death threats and taunted by English supporters during England’s 3-2 defeat against Portugal during Euro 2000 and his high profile and tabloid relationship with Posh Spice (his wife) was an easy target.
Public opinion of Beckham finally started to turn after he scored a last gasp goal against Greece to get them into the 2002 World Cup!
3. Wojciech Szczesny – 2013 Arsenal vs Liverpool
In his former life at Arsenal, Roma shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny pulled out this stunning pair of saves against Liverpool to spare his blushes in a game Arsenal would go on to win.
After felling Luis Suarez in the box, he faced Dirk Kuyt from the spot, moving to his right to stop the initial attempt before a frantic recovery to put him in position to turn the follow up away.
4. Jonathon Thurston – North QLD Cowboys 2015 NRL Grand Final
JT is never a zero, but his efforts in the 2015 NRL Grand Final is pure zero to hero stuff.
Thurston missed the conversion to win the game for the Cowboys at the end of regular time, but went on to kick the field goal to win the Cowboys their first ever premiership and break the hearts of Broncos fans in the process.
5. Stephen Kernahan – Carlton 1993 AFL Season
Way back in Round 2, 1993 Carlton legend Stephen “Sticks” Kernahan only needed to score to win the game for the Blues against Essendon.
The scores were tied at the final siren.
Sticks had a shot and kicked it out of bounds on the full, which resulted in the match being a draw.
The next week, Carlton played Hawthorn at Princes Park and with the game in the balance at the dying stages, Sticks kicked the sealer to ensure a Carlton win by two points and some redemption.
Unfortunately, Sticks kicking the winning goal in this match isn’t on YouTube, however, we can show you this clip of the great man singing “Stand by Your Man” outside Naughtons Hotel as part of the Blues 1987 “Mad Monday” celebrations after winning the flag.
Any excuse.
6. Mark Taylor – 1997 Ashes Series
Prior to Australia’s 1997 Ashes tour of England, Tubby was suffering from some very poor form.
His batting average for the past 12 months was 16 runs and he hadn’t scored a century in over a year.
The jungle drums were beating for the then Australian Test captain to be dropped and the pressure was on in a big way heading into the First Test.
Taylor scored only seven runs in the first innings and many thought his rough patch would continue, but he would finally end his drought with a century in the second innings and his brave performance with the bat inspired a series win for the Aussies.
7. Kieran Perkins – Atlanta 1996
We all know this story.
Kieran Perkins, the winner of the gold for Australia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 1500m freestyle, had shocker in the heats and only just qualified for the final.
He was allocated lane eight and the rest they say is history.
8. Jason Little – Wallabies v South Africa 1993
In the second Test of the tour of South Africa, Little threw an intercept pass, which allowed South Africa’s Joel Stransky to run the length of the field and score under the posts.
Later in the game, Little would score two tries to cement an Australian victory and the Wallabies would go on to win the series
The post Eight Sporting Zeros To Heroes appeared first on Ladbrokes Blog.
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