Flippin’ it awkward
Who: Iranian footballer Milad Mohammadi knows what it means to put his body on the line for his nation. But ,like they say, don’t use your head where it is not needed. The 24-year-old defender, who plays for the Russian football club Akhmat Grozny, did exactly the opposite on the night of his World Cup debut.
Where: Last 30 seconds into stoppage time, the mighty Spaniards are trying to retain a narrow lead of 1-0 against Iran. The ball is out of play and substitute Mohammadi gets his hands on it deep into the Spanish territory. His throw-in would most certainly be Iran’s last shot at a famous draw. But there’s even more at stake than meets the eye. Back home, the Iranian women are making history of their own. For the first time since 1979, women have fought their way into a stadium to watch the live telecast of the men’s football World Cup.
What: Mohammadi takes position and looks at the sky in silent prayer as Iranian fans cheer in anticipation. The kind of stuff history is made of. This must have been the moment of nervousness that seeded a dodgy idea in Mohammadi’s mind: a long, solid throw into the penalty area could give a fillip to his strikers who could then use the volley to strike and deny Spain a victory. Mohammadi gets ready to take a leap of faith, literally. He takes a few steps back, grips the ball with both his hands, kisses it in a ritualistic farewell gesture, and then, what he thought would be his moment of athletic glory turns out to be an abysmal attempt at a somersault. He flips forward, pushing the ball into the ground with his head, and lands on his back. He is able to use the momentum to get back on his feet but fails to deliver the ball. It’s a gaffe of a lifetime. The referee looks at his watch, the commentators can’t help laughing, and the fans are confused. Mohammadi then takes a more conventional route and throws in the ball to his nearest teammate. The ball is played out without any real threat to Spain. Final scoreline: Spain 1-0 Iran.
How: Showboating is not new to football. Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita’s “scorpion kick” against England in 1995 is a spectacular example. He could have caught or punched the ball away, but instead, he chose to jump, lean forward and kick the ball over his head to save the goal. It was a needless piece of acrobatics on a football field, but one of the many that got him the nickname “El Loco” (crazy in Spanish). Mohammadi, on the flip side, has become meme-material for failing at the execution of a forward flip throw-in while wasting crucial seconds for his team on a world stage. Social media was in splits. It compared him to a panda rolling on grass, a man in Spiderman costume trying a moonsault and breaking his back, a toddler failing at a forward roll and missing her bath tub, in hilarious videos that won’t stop coming. What Mohammadi would have liked is to be compared with specialists like Englishman Steve Watson who could cover serious distance with his epic forward flip throw-ins. Unfortunately, in young Mohammadi’s case, his ill-timed, attention-seeking antic was an epic failure.