Miss of the century! Complacent Argentina star chips Costa Rica goalkeeper and waits to watch his shot cross the line… only to see it cleared by defender who dashed back
- Nicolas Gonzalez missed the chance to make it 4-1 as Argentina defeated Costa Rica
- Fans were quick to share their thoughts on Gonzalez’s shocking miss
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Argentina star Nicolas Gonzalez will be left out of his role in Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over Costa Rica after a horror miss late in the match.
The Albiceleste eventually won 3-1 in Los Angeles after goals from Angel Di Maria, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez in the international friendly against Costa Rica.
It was almost a disappointment, with less-fancied Los Ticos taking an early lead in the 34th minute through Spartak Moscow striker Manfred Ugarte, with the world champions unable to respond before half-time.
However, a very strong Argentine side, albeit without talisman Lionel Messi, looked to their stars and they delivered a 25th-minute triple volley to seal the victory.
It was almost four too, with Gonzalez breaking clear down the left in the 90th minute before scoring one of the misses of the season late on.
Nicolas Gonzalez produced one of Argentina’s worst ever misses against Costa Rica
HE was played through on goal late in the match and managed to lift it over Keylor Navas’ head
Nicolas Tagliafico played a perfect ball over the head of Costa Rica defender Haxzel Quiros, sending Gonzalez racing towards Keylor Navas’ goal as the clock neared full-time.
The Real Madrid legend initially returned to his line before darting out to close the gap with the Fiorentina striker, but was ultimately stranded when the ball was lifted over his head.
A sore Navas then turns to see Gonzalez heading towards goal, but for some reason only he will know, the Argentine forward decides not to put the finishing touches on the ball as it creeps towards the line.
Unbeknownst to the Fiorentina star, Quiros had made a fantastic recovery, and as Gonzalez was already heading for the corner flag thinking he had sealed the fourth goal, the right-back came around the outside and hooked the ball off the line.
It was a fantastic, determined piece of defense against Quiros, but he shouldn’t have had a chance when Gonzalez was hugely at fault, and the look on his face after the clearance suggests he’s all too aware of that fact.
Given the caliber of the miss – Gonzalez ran a good eight to 10 yards past the ball without tapping home – fans flocked to social media to voice their opinions.
One wrote: ‘Nico Gonzalez with the funniest miss I’ve ever seen.’
A second thought they were witnessing a piece of history, adding: “It would have been 4-1 but thanks to Nico Gonzalez for that miss of the century.”
Instead of putting the finishing touches on the shot, he seemed to celebrate too early
Gonzalez was unaware that Haxzel Quiros was rushing back to clear the ball off the line
The Fiorentina striker was left red in the face due to his blunder, but fortunately it did not affect the result
Fans were quick to express their shock at Gonzalez’s miss of the century on Wednesday
One sympathized with Tagliafico for what would have been a sensational assist, writing: ‘Bro messed up badly. It would hurt if I was the guy doing that.”
Quiros’ fantastic recovery work has caught the attention of some, with one saying: ‘That’s a terrible move from Nicolas, but a great move from the defender.’
Still, one viewer was left outraged by Gonzalez’s complacency, asking, “Why not tap it?” Guy started celebrating before it even happened.”
Gonzalez has scored five goals in his 31 appearances for the world champions so far but was ruled out of their 2022 victory in Qatar due to a hamstring injury.