Since childhood, many of us have been passionate about soccer, adhering to the golden rule: to win a match, try to score as many goals as possible in the opponent’s net. But can you imagine attempting to score goals in your own net to win a match? This might sound bizarre, but it actually happened in a match between Barbados and Grenada in 1994, which some consider the strangest game in soccer history.
The match took place at the “Barbados National Stadium” during the Caribbean Cup qualifiers in 1994. This tournament features teams from the Caribbean region. The game was between Barbados and Grenada, and it was the final match in the group stage that would determine qualification. Barbados needed to win by a margin of two goals to advance to the next stage. If they failed, Grenada would advance, and if the match ended in a draw, extra time would be required.
At this point, there was nothing unusual for soccer fans. However, the organizers had set a peculiar condition: if the match went to extra time, a “golden goal” rule would apply, but with a twist — a goal scored would count as two, and the match would end immediately. This condition set the stage for one of the most bizarre matches in soccer history.
The match began with Barbados scoring two early goals. Grenada responded with one goal, making the score 2-1. This scoreline remained until the final minutes of regular time. With little time left and the possibility of scoring another goal diminishing, Barbados realized that their only option to advance was to force the match into extra time. To do this, they needed to level the score. Therefore, Barbados scored an own goal, making the score 2-2. This move stunned the spectators and even Grenada’s players, who understood the strategy but were equally perplexed about how to respond. Grenada’s only option was to try to score in their own net to reduce the goal difference, which was necessary for their advancement.
Barbados anticipated this and divided their team into two groups: one focused on defending their own goal, while the other was tasked with preventing Grenada from scoring in their own net. The strategy worked. The match proceeded to extra time, where a Barbados forward scored a goal, which counted as two under the golden goal rule, and Barbados advanced to the next round.
Grenada was left in shock. They were so enraged that their manager, James Clarkson, expressed his frustration to the media, accusing the organizers of being mad for creating such a confusing rule. Clarkson criticized the rule’s implementation, saying it caused such confusion on the field that his players were unsure whether to score in their own net or in the opponent’s.
In response to the controversy and intense reactions, the organizing committee canceled the bizarre rule, and the matter was escalated to FIFA. However, FIFA could not penalize Barbados due to the unusual nature of the tournament’s rules. Despite Barbados’s clever strategy to advance, their journey in the tournament was short-lived, but they went down in history for orchestrating one of the strangest games ever played.
