Cristiano Ronaldo’s Worst Miss: Duncan Alexander Recalls Sheffield United 2006

Chris Iwelumo: Scotland vs. Norway (2008)

Few misses carry the weight of an international debut gone awry. During a World Cup qualifier in 2008, Scottish forward Chris Iwelumo squandered an open goal from close range against Norway, a moment recalled by journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor via The Athletic. Iwelumo appeared to change his mind about which foot to use at the last second, tying himself in knots before steering the ball wide. According to retrospective coverage by FourFourTwo cited in the reports, Iwelumo admitted his wife eventually made him delete the clip from their Sky Plus recorder after four or five days. Despite playing professionally for nearly two decades at 6ft 4in tall, Iwelumo made only three further appearances for Scotland and never scored an international goal.

Lyndon Dykes: Queens Park Rangers vs. Hull City (2022)

In August 2022 during a Championship fixture, Lyndon Dykes produced what writer Andrew Pigott termed an all-time classic miss via The Athletic. With QPR leading Hull City 3-1 and pressing for more, Ilias Chair’s high press inadvertently served up a cross to Dykes, who stood completely unmarked six yards out with an empty net ahead of him. Rather than shooting first-time, Dykes checked back to deceive the goalkeeper and create space on his other side, only to calmly side-foot the ball wide of the target. Observers noted it effectively counted as two missed opportunities rolled into one due to the sheer amount of time and space afforded to the forward.

Peter van Vossen: Celtic vs. Rangers (1996)

Old Firm derbies rarely lack drama, but few moments match the notoriety of Peter van Vossen’s miss in November 1996, documented by Phil Hay through The Athletic. During a Scottish Premiership clash at Parkhead while Rangers were dominantly putting together a streak of nine Scottish titles, Brian Laudrup gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Late in the match, Jorg Albertz did the heavy lifting by drawing Celtic goalkeeper Stewart Kerr and presenting Van Vossen with a sitter in front of an open goal. Van Vossen instead lifted his shot over the crossbar. According to the reports, the Dutchman left Ibrox in 1998 with just five league goals to his name, permanently cementing his place in Glasgow football folklore.