Faroe Islands U21s had a single shot on target in their 1-1 draw with France U21s in European Championship qualifying – and it was certainly one to remember.
The small island nation have had a fair amount of success at U21 level in recent times, defeating Armenia, Kazakhstan, Montenegro and Israel since September of last year.
But last night’s result will surely rank as one of their finest. The French team contained the likes of Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier, new Real Madrid signing Eduardo Camavinga and Lyon forward Amine Gouiri.
Gouiri gave France the lead inside just eight minutes, and France ended the half with 11 shots to their opposition’s one.
But everything changed with one moment in the second half. Meslier raced out towards the halfway line to intercept a long ball, before attempting to lay the ball off to one of his team-mates.
However, he miskicked it straight to Faroe Islands striker Steffan Lokin, who took a shot at goal. But he hit the strike off balance, meaning there was a tense wait to see if the ball would reach the back of the net.
Despite the best efforts of France’s Loic Bade, it did – and sent the commentary team into raptures.
You can hear the sound level on the commentary box slowly rise as the ball trickles towards the back of the net, before the wild moment as it crosses the line.
Cue wild celebrations both off and on the pitch, as Lokin was mobbed by his team-mates and the substitutes.
It was a remarkable 30 seconds of footballing action, and a goal that will surely live in the 20-year-old’s memory for a long time to come.
Thanks to a superb defensive effort, the Faroe Islands held on for the 1-1 draw. Goalkeeper Bardur Reynatrod made five saves in the second half.
The result keeps them in third in their qualifying group for the U21 European Championships, having won one, drawn one and lost one of their opening three games.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
